Sunday will mark the first match for Manchester City since they were found guilty of all 115 charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules. The club have since appealed the verdict, and publicly maintain that they are innocent. That will obviously be the main storyline when City travel to Liverpool FC this upcoming weekend, but the club have another major concern, on the pitch, regarding the health of their leading scorer. Striker Erling Haaland gestured to the Norway bench last night, as he was seen hobbling and asked his coach to take him off, 67 minutes into their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Portugal in the Nations League.
Erling Haaland was promptly replaced by Jørgen Strand Larsen. Team Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken spoke about the situation, but he stopped short of providing a true, specific injury update. Man City have not issued anything either.
“He was tired against Wales,” Solbakken said in his postgame press conference. “That’s why we had a heart-to-heart conversation [before the Portugal game]. We went through the possible options.
“He might have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal.
“That was a discussion. But he has very bad vibes and feelings about it. I am very pleased that he managed to pull out 60 good minutes.”
So that’s all we know at this point. If Haaland isn’t fit for Sunday, then City manager Enzo Maresca will likely have to play Antoine Semenyo up top, whichi is out of position for him. Or he can look at getting creative in the way he positions Phil Foden and/or Rayan Cherki in attack.
City does not have a veteran, seasoned, back-up pure striker on the roster right now.
Squad Injury Updates: September/October International Break
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Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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 currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.