Erling Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm since he arrived at Manchester City in the summer window.
The striker has 11 goals and an assist from seven league matches, which includes back-to-back hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. He has also found the back of the net on three occasions from two Champions League games.
Haaland joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund, after starring for the Bundesliga side whenever he was available for selection.
The 22-year-old has struggled with fitness concerns in the past few years and during his final season in Germany, he missed close to 100 days of action due to injuries and illness.
That no longer seems to be an issue in England as the frontman has not missed a tie for the Premier League winners so far. Pep Guardiola has heaped praised the work done by the backroom staff in keeping the Norway international fit.
“I have always said that the most important department in the club is the physios. Erling struggled a lot in Dortmund. He was injured for most of the year, and he came here with problems after a small operation this summer,” Guardiola told Norway’s TV2.
“He has worked with Mario [Pafundi] and the others. Thanks to them and the others that he can play every game. It was not possible last season.”
Pafundi was with Haaland at the Norway training camp during the international break and the ex-Barcelona manager also shared his views on this.
“The club makes a lot of money from the players being available, and for the most part it is because of the physios. Mario and Erling like each other, and he asked to take him to Norway,” he added.
When asked what Manchester City are doing that Haaland’s other clubs didn’t do to keep him fit, Guardiola said: “You have to ask Mario. I’m not a physio so I don’t know what they do. They try to keep the players available. It’s not just Mario, but everyone. We have incredibly talented employees who keep the players healthy.”
