“He’s ready,” Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola responded when asked if Erling Haaland could go from his cameo appearance at Burnley to the starting lineup at Brentford on Monday night.
This past midweek saw Haaland feature for the first time since early December, as he had been recovering from a foot injury since then.
Manchester City at Brentford FC FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Feb. 5, 8pm, GTech Community Stadium
Manchester City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Man City 69% Draw 18% Brentford FC 13%
Premier League Form, Standing: Brentford LWLLL 15th, 22 pts Man City 2nd, 46 pts, WWWWD
Man City Team News
Pep was also asked to address the transfer rumors surrounding Haaland, who has been linked this week with a move to Real Madrid. According to these narratives, Haaland is unhappy in Manchester and wants out.
“I don’t know, you have to ask the media from Madrid if [Haaland’s camp] are happy,” Guardiola said.
“Maybe they have more info than we have. I, we, don’t have that feeling he’s unhappy. He was because he didn’t play for two months, injured. But maybe the media from Spain, especially Madrid, have more information than us.”
Elsewhere defender Manuel Akanji is reportedly match fit for Monday night, meaning that Guardiola now has a fully fit squad available. You know what a scary proposition Man City can be what they are in all guns blazing mode!
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.