Pep Guardiola has revealed that Erling Haaland is training his speed ahead of Manchester City’s game against West Ham.
The Norwegian striker missed City’s Premier League fixture against Leeds United two weeks ago due to an ankle problem.
Haaland returned to play 90 minutes against Nottingham Forest last Wednesday, but he was not in City’s FA Cup squad on Saturday.
It would appear that the 25-year-old is still working his way back to full fitness before taking on West Ham this weekend.
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Axel Disasi at the end of the match during the Premier League match between Fulham and West Ham United
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Erling Haaland working on speed before West Ham game
Haaland is expected to travel to the London Stadium to take on Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Saturday night.
He could even feature against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday ahead of the Premier League clash.
The good news for the Hammers is that the centre forward often takes a while to fully recover from an injury.
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Given that he is such an explosive player, Haaland loses some speed in the weeks after he returns to action.
Guardiola explained to the Manchester Evening News after City’s 3-1 cup win over Newcastle: “I didn’t think to let him play and I prefer him training to [clicks fingers] make a rhythm.
“After injury, when he drops, he always struggles to have that real pace.”
West Ham’s defenders will hope that Haaland remains short of his world-class best when he arrives in East London.
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A split image showing Dinos Mavropanos playing for West Ham United and Jean-Clair Todibo playing for West Ham United.
Credit: Getty Images/Rob Newell – CameraSport
West Ham can expect toughest game of season against Man City
Manchester City are always a tough opponent, but they will have extra motivation to beat West Ham on Saturday.
After drawing with Nottingham Forest, Guardiola’s men are now seven points behind Arsenal in the Premier League.
Even though City have a game in hand, they will need to win at the London Stadium to keep the title race alive.
The Hammers can expect as difficult a fixture as they have encountered all season, but the visitors are far from unbeatable.
West Ham may also benefit from Guardiola’s touchline ban, which means he will have to watch from the stands.
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