Erling Haaland’s early exit from Norway’s 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal on Sunday raised concern about the fitness of the Manchester City striker. City travel to Anfield on Sunday.
Haaland gestured to the bench to be withdrawn with the game level at 1-1 in Porto. He was replaced in the 67th minute by Jorgen Strand Larsen. He was also seen limping before he left the pitch.
The timing matters for City. Haaland has scored five goals in five Premier League appearances this season, and seven goals in seven appearances in all competitions.
City face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday 11 October. They are already without the suspended Phil Foden, and Nico O’Reilly and Antoine Semenyo are doubts.
Norway manager Stale Solbakken has now explained the substitution. According to Nettavisen, he said the decision was planned in advance.
“I’m pleased that he managed to dig out 60 good minutes today,” Solbakken told the Norwegian outlet.
He added that Haaland is in the group hardest hit by workload, “precisely because his team plays all the tournaments and he is the ‘main man'”.
Solbakken said he and Erling Haaland had a heart-to-heart conversation the day before the match. Goal reports that the plan was to give Haaland a little over an hour on the pitch because fatigue was building.
Solbakken pointed to Haaland’s recent workload. Erling Haaland played all 90 minutes in Norway’s first three Nations League games before the 66 minutes in Porto. Norway played four Nations League matches in 11 days, and Solbakken said Haaland looked tired against Wales.
Solbakken also told NRK the exit “looked completely harmless”. He said it came down to the bigger picture and that Haaland was simply spent.
Enzo Maresca’s side travel to Anfield on Sunday for Matchweek 6, their first match since being found reportedly guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.
City sit top of the table with five wins from five.
They will face a Liverpool side under Andoni Iraola who are also unbeaten since the start of the 2026/27 season.
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