Erling Haaland of Manchester City reacts as he goes off injured
Erling Haaland of Manchester City reacts as he goes off injured
Pep Guardiola has revealed Erling Haaland will be out of action for up to seven weeks - which could rule him out of the rest of the domestic season.
City confirmed Haaland suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win at Bournemouth, with the forward leaving the Vitality Stadium on crutches, wearing a protective plastic boot. Haaland will see a specialist to learn the full extent of the injury, but Guardiola revealed club medics have told him the 24-year-old will be out for five to seven weeks.
City are confident that timescale means Haaland will be fit for the Club World Cup, which starts in the US in June, although he may miss the FA Cup Final if the Blues beat Nottingham Forest to reach it.
Guardiola said: “Sometimes these kind of things happen. With all the injuries we’ve had this season, we’re so sorry for them and for Erling as well. The doctors told me it will be between five and seven weeks. We don’t have another player with his specific skills or qualities, we know that, so we have to adapt.”
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City had released a statement on Monday night, declaring: "Manchester City FC can confirm that Erling Haaland has suffered an injury to his left ankle. The Norwegian striker sustained the injury during Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final victory away at AFC Bournemouth.
"Erling underwent initial tests in Manchester on Monday morning and will now seek specialist consultation to confirm the full extent of the injury. Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain a full prognosis. The expectation is that Erling will be fit in time to play a further part in the remainder of this season, including this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. Everyone at the Club wishes Erling a speedy recovery."
It is unlikely he will be forced back into Premier League action, with City 22 points behind league leaders Liverpool and new signing Omar Marmoush in place to shoulder the goalscoring burden.
But with City only fifth in the table at present - six points off third place Nottingham Forest and only three points ahead of ninth place Villa, their place at European football's top table next season isn't certain, despite City's confidence that they will still finish in the top four places.
But, if it comes down to it, rushing back their top scorer could become a necessity, particularly given the club accelerated its summer spending plans by splashing out almost £200m in January.
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