Manchester City striker Erling Haaland suffered a groin injury, the Norway national team announced today, and he’ll thus withdraw from the side for this international period. He won’t be a part of the Norway side that will face Spain on Saturday and Georgia next Tuesday in Euro 2024 qualifying competition.
The other-worldly scoring sensation has now left national team camp, and returned to his club. With Haaland now out of at least a week, maybe more, it means he’s in a race to be fit for Man City’s matches after the international break, starting with Liverpool’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on April 1.
That will be the very first match of the next round of Premier League competition.
“We hoped that this was just a familiarity that would carry over to Saturday, but after doing tests and examinations yesterday it became clear that he will not make it to the games against Spain and Georgia,” Norway team doctor Ola Sand said of the Erling Haaland situation.
“It is better that he receives medical follow-up at the club.”
After the Liverpool match comes a trip to Southampton on Apr. 8, both those matches pale in comparison, in importance to the big time UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich on Apr. 11. City manager Pep Guardiola will make sure to take every precaution to make sure that he has his record-breaking scoring machine ready and available for that one.
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.”
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