- Erling Haaland is racing against the clock to be fit against Liverpool next week
- He has been ruled out of the match against Scotland after another ankle injury
- England will struggle to win a trophy with Kalvin Phillips It all starts
Erling Haaland has told fans he is ‘trying to get back as soon as possible’ after suffering a second ankle injury of the month while on international duty, leaving Manchester City fans fearful about their star’s fitness.
The Norwegian striker twisted his ankle during his country’s 2-0 friendly win over the Faroe Islands and appeared to be in a lot of pain.
It is the Norwegian goalscoring machine’s second ankle problem this month after he came off at half-time 6-1 at Bournemouth on November 4, sparking concerns he may not be fit to play in the big game against the Reds.
As such, he has been ruled out of Norway’s final European Championship qualifier against Scotland and will be desperate to play when City host Liverpool in a top-flight match on November 25.
‘Unfortunately I will miss tomorrow’s match against Scotland. I wish the boys all the best,” he wrote on Instagram.
Erling Haaland appeared to be in a lot of pain as he suffered his second ankle injury of the month
The Man City striker had come on for Norway in a 2-0 friendly win against the Faroe Islands
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‘Now treatment and trying to come back as soon as possible’.
While he gritted his teeth against the Faroe Islands on Thursday, the worry for City is that the 23-year-old had already aggravated his ankle this month.
He was withdrawn at half-time in City’s 6–1 demolition match against Bournemouth on 4 November.
Within 24 hours he told Pep Guardiola that the pain had subsided, and within three days he started and scored twice against BSC Young Boys in the Champions League.
Man City sports therapist Mario Pafundi accompanied Haaland on international duty as usual and Norway has been in contact with his club.
Norway’s team doctor, Ola Sand, said that while the problem is not serious, “he is in so much pain and has somewhat limited function” that he will not be able to face Scotland at Hampden Park.
The match is a dead end for them as they cannot catch Scotland or Spain in the top two of Group A.
It is his second ankle injury of the month after coming off at half-time against Bournemouth
Haaland has been in red-hot goalscoring form this season, with 17 goals in 18 games in all competitions.
However, he faces a race against time to be ready for the match against Liverpool, which could see the league leadership change hands as a solitary point separates the two sides.
Pep Guardiola isn’t just sweating over the fitness of his star striker, as a number of members of his squad – including Ederson, Nathan Aké, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes – were withdrawn from the national team squad and face a race against time.
The Premier League champions will also have to make do without long-term absentees Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Sergio Gomez.