Latest injury updates could see Man City’s Erling Haaland out of action for a little period.
Haaland’s father, Alfie, has raised fears that his son may not be available for Manchester City’s upcoming matches by excluding him from his Fantasy Football team.
Haaland, 23, has continued where he left off after his stunning 52-goal campaign last season by finding the net 19 times in 22 games this season.
However, City haven’t fully clicked into gear as it stands, as they sit four points off Liverpool in fourth place after 16 games in the Premier League.
He missed out in the 2-1 win over Luton Town with a bone stress reaction in his foot but Pep Guardiola is yet to provide clarity on exactly how long the Norwegian striker will be out for.
City have two games left before jetting off to partake in the annual Club World Cup Championship which features the winners of each continent at a tournament in Saudi Arabia later this month.
Guardiola said of the problem ahead of his team’s gutsy triumph at Kenilworth Road:
“After the last game against Aston Villa, he felt it and he cannot play. I don’t know [the length of the injury]. Week by week, day by day, we will see what happens. Erling has been so important since he’s arrived, that’s for sure. But during the season we see this sort of thing. Injuries, suspensions, problems, we have to adapt.”
Given there has been no official source or update for his injury, a keen-eyed observation from X user @FPLFocal has revealed that Haaland’s father transferred Haaland out of his team for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.
He wasn’t the only family member to do the same; Haaland’s brother Astor and girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen did the same which casts doubt over his availability of the next few games. As it stands, he remains out of all of their teams.
Their midweek away trip in the Champions League is dead rubber as they have already qualified for the next round as group winners and they should also have more than enough to see off Crystal Palace at the Etihad on the weekend.
Could he be ready for December 19 when they play their Club World Cup semi-final? It remains to be seen, but given it is a trophy the club have never won before then they will want their star man fit.
If not, he will have to wait until December 27 to face Everton or December 30 to face Sheffield United. After that, he has over a week to prepare for their FA Cup third-round tie with Huddersfield before getting another week to rest up for Newcastle away, before a two-week break.
Therefore, if he isn’t available for their upcoming few games and trip to Saudi, he will most likely return in any of those games mentioned. Either way, given the sheer amount of goals he scores, and the fine margins of title races, any dropped points in his absence could be crucial.
