Manchester City star Erling Haaland was withdrawn from the Norway squad due to a groin problem on Tuesday, days after he scored a hattrick against Burnley in the FA Cup.
On Wednesday, both TV2 and VG stated the 22-year-old’s injury doesn’t seem to be serious and is unlikely to be out of action for a long time.
Alfie Haaland, the Manchester City striker’s father, has told TV2 he didn’t expect Erling to miss Norway’s European qualifiers against Spain and Georgia this month.
On his son’s injury setback, he said: “It was very surprising. I knew nothing. He called me and said that they had taken some pictures [scans] and found something that was not good. I both believed and hoped that he would play.”
When quizzed how is Erling now, Alfie explained: “Everything is relative. He would very much like to have played these two international matches, but now it won’t be like that. He must prioritise his health, try to get his body back in place. Based on the assumptions, he is doing well, but he is very sad.”
The former Borussia Dortmund frontman left the national team camp from Marbella on Tuesday and then underwent further tests in Barcelona, at Manchester City’s instructions.
“First and foremost, it is the national team that makes the decision, but they cooperate, of course. They must have as much knowledge as possible about this and of course ask the doctors and physios at Manchester City. Then they come up with something together,” Alfie added.
When asked if his son would be sent to a hospital, Alfie said: “Yes, Manchester City have a partnership with a hospital in Barcelona. He has been there for further checks and treatment. Now he has been here [Marbella] for a couple of days with the physio from the club. So, he gets good follow-up.”
There are concerns over Haaland’s involvement for Manchester City’s big clash against Liverpool at the Etihad on April 1st. Alfie was quizzed about the possibility of the frontman facing the Reds.
“Firstly, I’m not a doctor and secondly, I think it’s ‘touch and go’. You can’t just go two weeks without training and then jump right into a match. There must be a progression. They can gamble on it, but if he doesn’t get proper training with the team, then he won’t play,” he said.
“It’s about how he responds to treatment in the next few days. He needs a lot of care and ‘kneading’. There are many sprints and there is a lot to move.”
Haaland has been in blistering form for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, scoring 42 goals and registering five assists from 37 matches in all competitions.
