Erling Haaland returns to Man City as he continues to rehabilitate a groin injury that ruled him out of international action for Norway… leaving Pep Guardiola sweating over his availability for the crucial tie against rivals Liverpool.
Erling Haaland has returned to Manchester City to continue with the rehabilitation of a groin injury detected last week.
The striker, who has scored 42 goals in all competitions this season, joined Norway for their matches against Spain and Georgia but left camp “deeply frustrated”, according to manager Stale Solbakken.
Haaland has been with City’s sports therapist Mario Pafundi as he registered for medical tests in Barcelona before spending time receiving treatment near the family’s property in Marbella.
Pafundi is accompanying the 22-year-old while he is on international duty to manage any ongoing fitness issues and the couple are believed to have flown back to the UK on Sunday.
The Premier League champions will carry out checks on Haaland before making a decision on his availability for the weekend’s clash against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, although the player’s father questioned his inclusion.
Erling Haaland injured his groin last week and spent time with Manchester City’s sports therapist Mario Pafundi.
Stale Solbakken revealed that Haaland was “deeply frustrated” at not being able to play for Norway
“You can’t just go two weeks without training and then jump straight into a fight,” Alfie Haaland said. There must be a progression there. This is about how he responds to treatment in the next few days.
City are hoping the time spent with Pafundi has paid off, particularly given that a fit Phil Foden has been ruled out for the foreseeable future.
Foden could face up to six weeks sidelined after surgery to remove his appendix, and NHS guidance advises avoiding strenuous activity for more than a month.
That would see Foden miss both Champions League quarter-final games against Bayern Munich, as well as as many as seven crucial league games and the FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield United.
Pep Guardiola could do without injuries to his biggest stars in the title race, with City eight points behind leaders Arsenal.
Haaland’s father, Alfie, questioned whether his son could appear after two weeks without training
Pep Guardiola will no longer be able to count on Phil Foden for the decisive tie against Liverpool
The England striker missed the Ukraine clash on Sunday because he underwent appendix surgery.
Haaland will be in no rush and his issue will be carefully managed as he missed six weeks with a groin injury while at Borussia Dortmund last year.
“Haaland is made of different things: he is a rock, a Viking,” Rodri said. ‘Hopefully his injury is nothing.
“He is scoring an impressive number of goals. It’s his first year and he’s still adjusting.
“He has room for improvement within the concepts we handle at Manchester City, but even so, the numbers he has are incredible.”