Erling Haaland will be checked out by Manchester City on Friday, but Pep Guardiola said he might not be fit enough to play in the Club World Cup.
Haaland missed the last two games because of an injury to his foot, and he didn’t go with the team to Belgrade for the Champions League game against Crvena Zvezda. Instead, the Norwegian was getting treatment in Marbella, and he didn’t get back to the club until Friday. The doctors will check him out when he gets back, but Guardiola doesn’t think the star will be back soon because he knows about the injury and the situation so far.
Haaland is likely to go to Saudi Arabia next week with the rest of the team for the Club World Cup, but City will let the striker decide when he is ready to play. Guardiola said before the Crystal Palace game, “He got here today. The doctors will check him out, and we’ll see how he feels.” “He was getting care away.
It would be great if he could go to Saudi Arabia. We will see if he can play in the first or second game, or when we get back. He might surprise me and play [against Palace], but I don’t think he will.
“Players sometimes get better quickly, and sometimes it takes longer. How he feels every day, every week. He will play as soon as he isn’t hurt.
On Saturday, City will play Palace in the next game in their Premier League title defence. The Blues are currently four points behind Liverpool, who is in first place in the league.
