Erling Haaland was offered the chance to start on the bench for Norway's clash with Portugal but turned it down, says a Norwegian commentator. The Manchester City star sparked injury fears after being taken off in the 2-1 Nations League defeat ahead of Sunday's trip to face Liverpool.
In an international break that brought with it a verdict finding City in breach of financial rules - which the club refutes and has appealed - worries were exacerbated on Sunday by star striker Haaland. He'd played every minute for his country leading up to the Nations League game against Portugal. He scored twice as they beat Denmark 3-2, bagged one as they fell 2-1 to the Portuguese in Oslo, and was not on the scoresheet in a 2-1 defeat to Wales.
Haaland's early exit against Portugal
But in the 67th minute of the clash against Portugal in Porto, Haaland gestured to the Norway bench that he had to come off, leaving some fearing he was injured as Jorgen Strand Larsen replaced him. He then boarded a private jet, with City in action seven days later.
However, Norwegian reporter and VG commentator Vegard Aulstad claims that the 26-year-old was simply exhausted and has flown to his home in Marbella to undergo a period of extended rest. He also says manager Staale Solbakken held a private conversation with Haaland, during which the forward was offered the option to start the Portugal game as a substitute but declined.
Insider reveals conversation with Solbakken
Aulstad exclusively told The Manchester Evening News: "The coach, Staale Solbakken, told us that they had a discussion before the game, him and Erling."
"Haaland was given the choice whether he wanted to come from the bench or start. But Erling hasn't had many good experiences with coming on as a sub because he rarely does that. So he wanted to start a game."
"They said, 'Okay, you try to do an hour, 60 minutes.' Then he played 67 minutes and he told himself that he was empty, he was tired. So he went away from the stadium to a private jet and went to Marbella."
"We didn't speak to him about it, but it wasn't an injury. He went to Spain and maybe he'll be back in Manchester soon. He will be at Anfield on Sunday. That will be a new situation. It will be crazy."
Impact of City's financial charges
City's financial charges and the appeal are also something Aulstad feels impacted Haaland on international duty, including when Norway were beaten 2-1 by Wales last Thursday. But he backs the striker to weather the storm.
"It is impossible for us to know what he's going through or how he's feeling," Aulstad said. "You can't simply shield yourself from everything that is happening. So obviously, he is affected in some way now. Probably, mentally, you could see it in Thursday's game against Wales."
"It wasn't his type of game because Norway didn't create a lot of chances and didn't play the football that suits Haaland. But after what's going on, you could see that his mental capacity was different than usual."
"Erling is the face of the franchise, so for every City story about the situation, there is a picture of Erling Haaland. This is impossible to stay 100 per cent away from."
"But when we speak to the Norwegian players about Erling Haaland and ask them which of his qualities they would like to have themselves, they often mention his ability to shut himself off and create a bubble around himself and lock everyone else out. He focuses entirely on what matters and that is to perform."
