As Manchester City travelled to the Signal Iduna Park to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, a certain Erling Haaland was substituted at half-time.
While many wondered the reasons behind the Norwegian superstar’s withdrawal from proceedings, Pep Guardiola confirmed that he had fever before the game and had gone on to suffer a minor foot injury.
As a result, the 22-year old was deemed injured for City’s narrow 1-0 win against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the Sky Blues’ ability to thrive in a false nine system, losing arguably their standout player for a lengthy spell could do serious damage to their hopes of winning multiple trophies this term.
Ahead of Manchester City’s final group game in Europe’s elite competition against Sevilla, Pep Guardiola appeased the supporters’ fears by providing a positive fitness update about Erling Haaland.
“He feels better. Comparing to Saturday, Sunday, Monday, every day feels better. Still not 100%, we don’t want to take a risk. Hopefully, we have him against Fulham (next Premier League match)”, he revealed in the press-match press conference.
On Thursday, Haaland was spotted limping into the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance for examinations and routine tests, as reported by Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star, as relayed by City Xtra via Twitter.
However, the in-form marksman was seen leaving with a smile on his face, without any crutches or a protective boot, as he was cleared of any serious damage to his foot.
Pep Guardiola’s latest admission about the former Dortmund talisman’s fitness will be music to the Etihad faithful’s ears. After all, Erling Haaland has outscored every player across the top five leagues in Europe and is undoubtedly the best striker in the world currently.
An imminent return for the youngster to doing what he does best for City only boosts the club’s chances of making history once again this season.
