Pep Guardiola said that Erling Haaland will not play until the end of January. – I hope it will be ready by the end of the month. “It's even earlier than we originally expected,” said the Manchester City manager. The Norwegian football player suffered a leg injury at the beginning of December.
The 23-year-old striker last played on December 6 in Aston Villa's 0-1 defeat to Birmingham. Last season he was the top scorer in the Premier League, and this year he scored 14 goals in 15 league matches. In late December, he won the 2023 World Player of the Year plebiscite organized by the International Association of Football Historians and Statisticians (IFFHS).
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– Erling feels well, but the doctors decided to give him another week. I need it. Maybe he will come with us to the training camp in Abu Dhabi, said Guardiola, whose team will travel to the United Arab Emirates next week.
The Spanish coach will use Kevin De Bruyne, who played against Huddersfield Town (5-0) in the FA Cup last weekend, in Saturday's away game against Newcastle United in the 21st round of the Premier League. The Belgian midfielder has been out of action since August due to a thigh injury.
– He looked really good in Thursday's training. He hasn't been at his best at Huddersfield yet, but that's normal when you come back to the game after a five-month break. His form is improving, Guardiola said.
Manchester City are third in the Premier League with 40 points, five points behind leaders Liverpool and two behind second-placed Aston Villa. However, “Citizens” will play a scheduled match against “Brentford” on February 20.
AA, PAP
