Pep Guardiola did little to ease the injury concerns surrounding Erling Haaland, simply stating that he hopes his superstar striker is “fine” for Manchester City’s upcoming matches.
Travelling Man City supporters held their breath when Haaland clattered into the post late in the Cityzens 1–0 defeat to Aston Villa. The Norway international thought he momentarily found his side’s equalizer in the 90th minute, but the goal was wiped away for offside after a VAR review.
Haaland remained on the ground in visible pain after colliding with the woodwork, but he finished out the game without needing to be replaced as the final minutes ticked by at Villa Park.
After the match, Guardiola provided the following brief update on Haaland’s injury scare: “Hopefully he is fine.”
The good news for Man City is that their next game comes against Swansea City in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Guardiola should not need Haaland to make an appearance against the Championship side, giving the No. 9 a few extra days of recovery.
The Spanish boss will hope to have Haaland, who already has 24 goals to his name for both club and country this season, back at full strength by the time second-place Bournemouth make the trip to the Etihad on Sunday, Nov. 2.
