Erling Haaland is resting at his Marbella mansion ahead of Manchester City's trip to Liverpool, according to a Norwegian reporter. A private conversation with Norway boss Staale Solbakken has also come to the fore.
As City continue to be enshrouded in financial charges for which a ruling found them in breach - the club denies wrongdoing and has appealed - Haaland caused another stir on Sunday. The 26-year-old requested to be substituted in his country's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal after just 67 minutes. His gesture to the bench made it appear as though he was injured.
Fatigue confirmed, not injury
Enzo Maresca's City face a daunting trip to Anfield on Sunday. However, these concerns have since been eased. VG commentator and reporter Vegard Aulstad claims that the striker was just fatigued and that a conversation was held pre-match with the manager about whether the striker would start the game. He was supposedly given the option to be named as a substitute but refused.
Aulstad also says that Haaland was whisked away on a private jet immediately after the Portugal defeat and flew to his home in Marbella, Spain. There, he has been granted an extended period of rest before he rejoins his City team-mates in Manchester.
Pre-match discussion revealed
Speaking to The Manchester Evening News, Aulstad said: "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."
Mental impact of City charges
The financial charges levelled at City and the subsequent appeal are also factors that Aulstad believes weighed on Haaland during the international break, including Norway's 2-1 defeat to Wales last Thursday. Nevertheless, he remains confident the striker will come through the difficult period.
"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."
