Craig Bellamy is confident Erling Haaland will not be distracted by Manchester City's ongoing legal battle, despite the club being found guilty by a Premier League commission. Bellamy, who played for City between 2009 and 2011, remained tight-lipped when asked about the situation on Wednesday, ahead of Wales' Nations League clash with Norway.
Bellamy sidesteps City question
When asked about the Premier League verdict, Bellamy said: "I've played for so many clubs we'll be here all day [if we spoke about them]. This doesn't involve Norway tomorrow."
"We can talk about it another time," he added. "But at this present moment, off the back of three losses, playing Norway tomorrow, it's the furthest thing on my mind."
Haaland's focus praised
Bellamy dismissed suggestions that Haaland might be affected by the scandal, saying: "I don't think he'll be distracted. The guy's a machine. Have you seen his record at international level?"
"He just wants to score. That ain't stopping him. If you love football, you have to appreciate him. He's world-class. It's very rare you have a player who's this size and has this mobility," he added.
Bellamy compared Haaland to rugby legend Jonah Lomu, saying: "You know when you see certain moments in sporting careers or certain sports. You remember the Jonah Lomu factor? We're coming through the Haaland factor at this present moment."
Haaland's media absence explained
Haaland was pulled from media commitments last week, originally scheduled to face the press before Norway's game against Portugal, just 24 hours after the guilty verdict was made public. He was replaced by Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup.
Norway boss Stale Solbakken clarified that the decision was his own and not influenced by Manchester City. "I haven't spoken to anyone at Manchester City about the media since Erling was to move from Dortmund to City," he said.
"It's a lie. It also undermines my integrity. I go to great lengths to be honest because this is the people's national team. I try to give my all and that of the team."
Solbakken added: "This was a decision I made [giving him a day off on Saturday] without informing Erling. I just said: 'You can let this go. If you want to go, then you go. But for me you are exempt'."
