Erling Haaland shall be sidelined for as much as seven weeks with an ankle damage, Manchester City supervisor Pep Guardiola confirmed Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Norwegian, who has scored 30 targets this season, limped off throughout City’s 2-1 FA Cup quarterfinal win over Bournemouth on Sunday.
City introduced Monday that Haaland would seek the advice of a specialist however is predicted to return later this season, together with for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer time.
Guardiola offered an replace forward of City’s Premier League match in opposition to struggling Leicester at Etihad Stadium.
Need for adjustment
“The doctors told me between five and seven weeks,” Guardiola stated. “So hopefully by the top of the season and for the FIFA Club World Cup, he shall be prepared.
“Sometimes there are years where these kinds of things happen. It’s happened all season.”
Premier League champion City has been hit laborious by accidents this season, most notably shedding Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for a good portion of the marketing campaign.
Guardiola acknowledged City doesn’t have one other participant with Haaland’s attributes however stated they have to adapt as they chase a Champions League spot.
City is at the moment fifth within the Premier League, a place more likely to safe a spot in Europe’s prime membership competitors on account of robust performances by English golf equipment in Europe.
With 9 league matches remaining and an FA Cup semifinal in opposition to Nottingham Forest in late April, City faces a vital stretch.
A seven-week absence would sideline Haaland for a lot of the Premier League run-in. The FA Cup remaining is ready for May 17 – at some point shy of seven weeks after he sustained the damage.
City’s remaining league recreation is at Fulham on May 25, whereas their first Club World Cup match within the United States is scheduled for June 18.
Guardiola stated his squad would wish to regulate within the absence of their prolific striker, who has delivered a outstanding scoring document since arriving in England in 2022.
Solutions with out Haaland
“We need players with different qualities, and we have to bring more players closer to the box,” Guardiola stated.
“Erling’s numbers have been distinctive once more. He is an unbelievable risk with lengthy balls and his goal-scoring intuition, however we now have to regulate.
“We will find solutions with the players we have, using their different skills and qualities.”
UCL not a priority
Guardiola downplayed considerations about securing a Champions League spot.
“We have had much tougher challenges than this,” he stated. “When you need to win 16 or 17 video games to win the Premier League, don’t inform me that’s not powerful.
“In the previous, aside from my first season and the yr Liverpool was extraordinarily robust, we have been all the time preventing for the title.
“This is the primary time, together with my first season right here, that we now have to combat to qualify for the Champions League.
“We have nine games left, and we know what we have to do.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com