Manchester City's injury fears over Erling Haaland may have been eased ahead of the Premier League trip to Liverpool, with Norway boss Stale Sobakken suggesting the striker was substituted due to fatigue. Haaland was taken off in the 67th minute of Norway's 2-1 Nations League loss to Portugal, after appearing to gesture towards the bench asking to be replaced.
Substitution explained by Norway boss
Speaking to Norwegian outlet TV2 after the game, Sobakken explained the decision to take Haaland off. "We were hoping for 60 minutes after the conversation we had yesterday, and he managed 65 minutes," he said.
The substitution was put down to fatigue instead of any known injury, with a shorter off-season due to the World Cup pointed to as a factor. Reports in Norway claim that around half an hour after full-time, Haaland, along with teammates Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard and Kristoffer Ajer, were observed quickly leaving the stadium.
Teammates react to Haaland's early exit
"It wasn't just Haaland who left early," Sobakken said. "There's a whole bunch of people leaving now. They need a breather. They have been given a few days off from their club. But when they have the opportunity to book a private plane, I understand that they do it when they have two or three days off. You have to remember that the teams that went far in the World Cup have many players who have had minimal vacation. Then it's right to the start of the series and then a mini-tournament. It's an extreme strain."
Norway teammate Leo Ostigard told TV2: "It's clear that you want him on the field as long as possible. But he plays an incredible number of games, and he's a human being too. Erling is one of the best at turning things on and off. That's also part of what makes him so fantastically good. But the vacation hasn't been the longest, and as I said: He's only human. It's hard to be at his best in every game. He probably would have liked a slightly longer vacation."
Another international teammate, Patrick Berg, added: "Of course, we know that he is the world's best goalscorer, and probably the one who scores goals most often for us. We would love to have him on the pitch, but if that stops, then it stops our energy. He has played all three games before this one, so it's not that shocking that his strength finally ran out."
City return and upcoming fixtures
Haaland has scored seven goals in seven appearances for City so far this season. The game at Anfield is the club's first after being found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules, a decision which City are appealing.
Haaland has just over a week to recover, with City travelling to Anfield on Sunday afternoon. Just three days later, they host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
