Erling Haaland on a mission to claim football's biggest prizes at Manchester City

Alf Inge Haaland, affectionately known as Alfie, played his last Premier League match for Manchester City on a late April afternoon 21 years ago. City were on their way to relegation and although Alfie contributed to a victory that day against West Ham, the moment of the drop to the second tier was only delayed.

The combative Norwegian midfielder was unavailable for the next matchday because of injury. He watched from distance as City’s descent was confirmed.

The Alfie Haaland injury would later become one of modern English football’s most studied wounds. A week before his last appearance in light blue in the top division, he had been on the end of a brutal challenge from Manchester United’s Roy Keane in a drawn derby.

Keane later admitted he intended to hurt his fellow midfielder and had been bearing an old grudge from years previously against Haaland. Keane was sent off. Haaland underwent surgery for a knee problem that summer.

Alfie was in hospital for another reason the previous July, celebrating the birth of a son, Erling Braut, who on Tuesday closed a circle in the story of a gifted football family by confirming that he will spend the next five years wearing a Manchester City jersey.

It is a hugely exciting transfer. If Haaland junior scores league goals at the rate he has done for Borussia Dortmund, where City have triggered his €60m buyout clause, he could well be the leading goalscorer season after season in the Premier League. He should continue to set records in the Champions League, the competition where, last year, his precocious performances for Dortmund and RB Salzburg made him the youngest footballer to reach 20 goals.

He will have a reasonable expectation of being in the first City squad to win a