Erling Haaland: Ashton United's sensational approach for Man City star

The improbable story of one Tameside club's out-of-the-blue 'swoop' for the Norwegian prodigy ripping up the Premier League.

All football fans will have heard of wild transfer rumours and speculation which has left them bewildered and stunned - but nothing perhaps quite like this…

Ashton United Football Club has submitted a 28-day loan approach to Manchester City to sign Erling Haaland during the World Cup. Yes, you have read that correctly.

The Robins, who play in English football’s seventh tier, have always been an ambitious club and - as you can imagine - this tongue-in-cheek bid has taken the internet by storm.

The club posted an official statement on Monday afternoon and it didn’t take long for the website to briefly crash!

Ashton United's statement about Haaland caused a stir on social media

Located just six miles away from City’s Etihad Stadium, Ashton believe they can offer the striker the ideal solution to help maintain his fitness after his country Norway failed to qualify for the tournament in Qatar, which kicks off on Sunday.

Robins boss Michael Clegg said: “It just makes sense. City aren’t playing, and we want to help by keeping Erling fit. It makes more sense than him playing golf for six weeks. We think he will be a great fit for us and would slot in with our squad dynamic really well.”

Robins boss Michael Clegg. Image: Ashton United FC. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Haaland has hit the ground running since arriving in England from German giants Borussia Dortmund in the summer. His outrageous return of 23 goals in just 18 games has already made the £51 million that the Premier League champions splashed out on him look very cheap indeed.

As the top-flight campaign breaks off until Boxing Day, City boss Pep Guardiola has already said Haaland would be afforded some time off after a busy start to 2022-23 and battling recent injury issues.

But it won’t stop Robins fans from dreaming about the prospect of the 22-year-old tearing up the Northern Premier League Premier Division at Hurst Cross. What a sight that would be!

The most unlikely of stories certainly kept the club’s Twitter admin busy and provided a somewhat unexpected backdrop to the build-up to the Robins’ Manchester FA Premier Cup quarter-final clash against Maine Road on Monday night, which they won convincingly 4-0. 

It’s no hoax guys, we are waiting on the response! 🤞#AUFC #ONECLUB https://t.co/swWM6Qxa1v

— Ashton United FC (@AshtonUnitedFC) November 14, 2022

The news evoked reaction from far and wide as well as close to home. Local MP Angela Rayner is a patron of the Ashton United In The Community charity. 

The deputy leader of the Labour Party tweeted: "Come on Man City you know it makes sense and Erling Haaland. The fans are the best at my local club." 

Come on @ManCity you know it makes sense and @ErlingHaaland the fans are the best at my local club 😁 https://t.co/InQ8UrvgPQ

— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) November 14, 2022

Want more local sport stories?

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.