After Kevin De Bruyne made a sensational comeback from injury in the thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle United on 13 January, Manchester City fans want to know how their star striker Erling Haaland is doing.
The Norwegian, who has been absent since December 6, was expected to return against the Magpies but was not in the squad. A new update on the status of his injury reveals that he was close to a return before the setback occurred.
According to Daily Mail reporter Jack Gaughan: “The medical team was of the opinion that he needed a week’s rest after the breakdown. Haaland is expected to rejoin the team in Abu Dhabi. They are a little concerned about a specific area of bone that has suffered a strain.” He asserted that the club did not want to risk bringing him back “too soon”, referring to his previous injury history at Dortmund.
Gaughan also mentioned, “They are a bit concerned about a particular area of bone that has suffered a strain – and it was a longer lay-off than originally envisaged. The reporter also expressed hope that we will see him in action soon and provided an update for fantasy football managers as he added: “He was close to a return before the complication, so fantasy football managers won’t have to wait long to make their changes.”
Previously, Pep Guardiola had said that Haaland was likely to be out until the end of January, and now it turns out that this may indeed be the case. City are currently in the middle of a 13-day break are in Abu Dhabi for warm-weather training. On their return, they will take on Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup 4th round on 27 January, and on 1 February they have a Premier League game against Burnley, where they will be hoping that Haaland will be up and running.
The striker’s influence is also helped by the fact that, despite his long absence, he is still the league’s top scorer with 14 goals. Although De Bryne has returned to the squad and Haaland may be back soon, City have been plagued by injuries, the latest of which is goalkeeper Ederson, who has joined the sidelines.