Erling Haaland’s Fitness in Doubt Following Newcastle Draw

Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, announced that the fitness of striker Erling Haaland will be evaluated in the coming days. This follows reports of Haaland sustaining minor injuries, referred to as “knocks,” during Manchester City’s recent 1-1 draw against Newcastle United on Saturday.

In this match, the 24-year-old Norwegian forward was unable to add to his season’s goal tally as Newcastle’s forward netted a penalty in the second half, equalizing after Manchester City’s lead, which was secured by a 35th-minute goal. Haaland, who is a key player for Manchester City, consulted with the team’s medical staff during the celebrations of Josko Gvardiol’s goal but continued to play until the final whistle.

The team is scheduled to face Slovan Bratislava in an upcoming match on Tuesday. Guardiola, when asked about Haaland’s participation, stated, “(He) has some knocks. We’ll see in the next few days,” indicating that a decision regarding his availability would be made soon, based on further medical assessments.

Haaland, making his first appearance since the team’s previous 2-2 draw where tensions ran high, avoided disciplinary actions in that game despite an incident involving him and Gabriel. During the prior match, Haaland reached a personal milestone by scoring his 100th goal for Manchester City, marking this achievement just 105 games after joining the club in 2022. Additionally, Haaland boasts a career tally of 235 goals, achieved during his time at Molde, Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City. He also has an impressive international record with 32 goals in 35 appearances for Norway.