The Premier League is back and for Leeds United their fight to avoid relegation continues against second place Manchester City who will be welcoming back World Cup winner Julián Álvarez who scored 4 goals at the World Cup. For Jesse Marsch it’s the start of a road that will be pivotal for his position at the helm of Leeds, who play Man City, Newcastle United, and West Ham in their next three games.
One of the main worries for Marsch is former pupil Erling Haaland who has 23 goals in 18 matches this season and is on the road of a record setting season in the Premier League. During the Leeds United press conference Marsch spoke about Haaland and joked about the text they sent to each other.
“He texted me as soon as the schedule came out,” Marsch said, “He said he’s most excited for this, and I gave him permission to have a small hamstring injury for that match!”
Jesse Marsch and Erling Haaland’s history
“He was born in Leeds, his father has history here and he has the club in his heart because of that. When I got the job, him and his father were supportive. We’ll expect him to be fully ready and that causes issues for us,” Marsch added.
Haaland and Marsch worked together during the Norway striker’s time at Red Bull Salzburg in 2019-2020, where Haaland scored 28 goals in 22 games across all competitions. The pair won an Austrian Bundesliga together and Marsch said in an interview that Haaland was a tireless worker and at times would be asked to stop training so hard.