**Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has confirmed he will pass the Pep Guardiola weight test when the Catalan weighs his players after Christmas.**
Guardiola spoke at length after Manchester City’s 3-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League last weekend as the Blues entered the Christmas week two points adrift of leaders Arsenal – embarking upon a difficult run of games over the next 45 days.
The City boss admitted that he will be weighing his players upon their return to training later in the week, with the first-team squad given three days off to rest, recuperate and enjoy Christmas with their families – despite imploring his regiment to ease off from the day-to-day hustle of professional football.
Several Manchester City stars took to social media this week as they gave a peak through the curtain into their festive celebrations with their respective families ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Nottingham Forest.
City can keep up the pressure on Arsenal with three points over Forest, with the Blues facing a tricky test away at Sunderland on New Year’s Day as Guardiola and co are put to the test while the jury remains out on whether a new-look dressing room can challenge Mikel Arteta’s formidable Gunners all the way in the title race.
A 2-0 win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium last week helped Manchester City secure their place in the Carabao Cup semi-final, with Guardiola’s side also in pole position to avoid the UEFA Champions League play-offs and reach the Round of 16 from the group-stage after coming from behind to beat Real Madrid in their recent European clash.
It remains to be seen whether the eight-time Premier League champions can keep up their recent purple patch and enter 2026 in flying fashion, with Erling Haaland expected to have a large say in Manchester City’s fortunes and silverware prospects as the season progresses.
Haaland is adored by the Manchester City fanbase and this relatable, funny antics on YouTube in recent months have earned the Norwegian huge praise from the wider football community – with the 25-year-old being a breath of fresh air in a world where social media is an increasingly dull place and often a cesspit for false information and hateful agendas.
In an Instagram post published on Thursday evening, Manchester City’s number nine aimed a cheeky dig at his manager as he shared a snapshot of him weighing himself on a scale ahead of a return to training to prepare for this weekend’s trip to Nottingham.
“All good,” read the post with three exclamation marks, with Haaland weighing 94.4 kg in the picture, which depicts the standards to which he holds himself – as he would be highly unlikely to be in trouble for being overweight.
Haaland has given detailed insight into the behind-the-scenes of his goalscoring heroics for Manchester City and Norway with the YouTube channel, showing glimpses of him purchasing raw milk from local farms, making a frothy milk-based coffee in the morning, cooking eggs with sourdough bread for breakfast and his work with physiotherapists.
The Scandinavian star is arguably the be-all and end-all of Manchester City’s silverware hopes for the season and while the Blues may close a deal for Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo in January, Haaland is an indispensable as a player gets to a dressing room.