In an inspired piece of casting, Norwegian striker Erling Haaland is to voice a fierce Viking warrior in a new animated film.

The giant Manchester City centre-forward has long been compared to a marauding Viking on the pitch as he clocks up record after record as the fastest player in history to score 100 Premier League goals.

The film’s producers at the Cannes Film Festival confirmed the star was part of the cast of “Viqueens”, made by his fellow Norwegian Harald Zwart of “The Karate Kid” fame.

The children’s tale, which will be released on Christmas Day, is set in a “world of fearless warrior girls, icy fjords, and Silk Road mythology”.