In the world of football, the prowess of Erling Haaland as a striker is undeniable. However, his continued journey up the scoring record books has now been inhibited by a foot injury will test his resilience as a player. The worst case scenario has now occurred with the Erling Haaland injury, as it sounds like the fracture that Manchester City had hoped to avoid at all costs has happened.
“Hopefully at the end of this month he’ll be ready,” City manager Pep Guardiola said today, at his weekly press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Newcastle United.
“It was a little bit more than we expected in the beginning. It’s the bone. It needs time. With every injury you can do whatever you want but it’s a question of time.”
Newcastle United vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan. 13, 5:30pm, St. James Park
City Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Newcastle Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form, Standings: Man City 3rd, 40 pts, WWDWL Newcastle 9th, 29 pts, LLLWL
FA Cup 4th Round Draws: go here
Google Result Probability: Man City 62% Draw 21% Newcastle 17%
So there you have it- Haaland, who has been out since the Dec. 6 loss to Aston Villa, missing the last eight games across all competitions, won’t be back until February at the earliest.
The Haaland foot injury has turned out to be much more serious than initially thought. Given that he’s already missed a month, and likely out for two in total, it raises some questions.
Either City was obfuscating the seriousness of it all along, or the early stages of the rehabilitative process provided more reason for optimism. Last season, Haaland burst onto the English football scene with a goal-scoring flair that caught the attention of football enthusiasts worldwide.
His lightning-quick pace, clinical finishing, and physicality set him apart as arguably the most promising pure scorer in the game. He punctuated this idea by breaking the Premier League single season scoring record.
Despite his meteoric rise, Haaland’s journey hasn’t been without hurdles. The Norwegian striker hasn’t had a ton of serious injuries, but his ability to recover from the setbacks he has had to endure are truly a testament to his determination. Not to mention the support and acumen of all the medical teams he’s worked with along the way.
As City won a treble, and thus stayed alive in three different competitions to the very end, last season, the minutes really piled up for Haaland and all of his teammates. So this season requires a growing emphasis on managing the workload (not just for Haaland, but for everybody else as well) to prevent further injuries.
Striking a balance between always putting your strongest team on the pitch and preventing injuries is crucial for this team. It is most crucial for Haaland, a player of Ballon d’Or caliber (honestly, Haaland really should have won that award this past year).
Both the Manchester City and Norway national team communities eagerly await his return from this setback, knowing that this comeback will add another layer to the G.O.A.T. pure scorer center forward legacy that he is building.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.