Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, has provided an update on the recovery timeline for star striker Erling Haaland, expressing optimism about a potential return in the new year. Haaland has been sidelined with a foot injury, missing Manchester City’s recent triumph at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Guardiola shared, “Still, he’s not with the team. He feels better but he hasn’t made one training session with us. Hopefully, in January, he can come back with us,” during an interview with Amazon Prime. This suggests that Haaland is likely to sit out upcoming fixtures, including this weekend’s match against Sheffield United, the FA Cup third-round tie with Huddersfield Town on January 7, and the encounter with Newcastle United on January 13.
In addition to Haaland’s absence, Guardiola provided an update on another key player, Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder, who suffered a hamstring injury on the opening weekend of the season, is making progress toward a return. Guardiola mentioned, “Last week he trained with us, today he had a little bit of fatigue because he’s training hard.”
Despite the injury setbacks, Manchester City secured a 3-1 victory against Everton on Wednesday evening, placing them in fourth position in the league. The win leaves them five points behind leaders Liverpool, with a match in hand, showcasing City’s resilience in the pursuit of retaining their Premier League title.
–IANS
