Pep Guardiola has now provided an update on Erling Haaland ahead of the FA Cup clash between Manchester City and Tottenham.
The 53-year-old made the comments when speaking in his press conference.
So, what did Pep Guardiola say about Erling Haaland? Let’s take a look…
What Guardiola said about Haaland
Well – as detailed by The Times earlier this week – the Norway international took part in a full session out in Abu Dhabi as Manchester City embarked on a warm weather training camp.
However, Friday’s trip to north London comes too soon for Haaland.
As quoted by Tyrone Marshall of the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola said: “Tomorrow he’s not ready but he’s close. Training camp was good and he trained here the last few days. He’s not perfect.”
You can understand why Manchester City do not want to rush Haaland back into action.
The Norwegian suffered a string of recurring injuries during his time at Borussia Dortmund, missing a total of 33 games for the German giants due to a range of different problems.
Therefore, Guardiola is – quite rightly – being extra careful with his talisman, as a setback for the Manchester City No.9 would be heartbreaking at this stage of the campaign.
Despite his recent absence, Haaland has still managed to score 19 goals in just 22 appearances this season, while also providing five assists.
Haaland not the only absentee
Guardiola also confirmed that Manuel Akanji would miss Friday’s FA Cup clash.
The Switzerland international, who played alongside Haaland at Borussia Dortmund, suffered a knee injury during the 5-0 FA Cup third round win over Huddersfield.
Guardiola did – however – state that Ederson and John Stones will be part of the travelling squad, so it is not all bad news.
Hopefully – despite the absence of Haaland – Manchester City will have enough firepower to overcome Tottenham in N17 this Friday.
