Manchester: Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is expected to be sidelined for “between five to seven weeks” with an ankle injury, manager Pep Guardiola said Tuesday.
Guardiola gave a more precise timeframe than was offered Monday by City, who only said Haaland was seeking specialist consultation to confirm the full extent of the injury and should be fit to “play a further part in the remainder of this season.”
If the Norway international was to miss five weeks, he would likely be back for the final three league matches of the season and the FA Cup final on May 17 — should City beat Nottingham Forest in the semifinals. If he misses seven weeks, Haaland would be set to return around the time of the FA Cup final and might only be able to play in City’s final Premier League match. City is heading to the United States in June for the 32-team Club World Cup.
City, who have won the last four Premier League titles, are in fifth place and battling to just finish in the Champions League qualification positions. This season, that is set to be the top five. City will play Forest in the FA Cup semifinals being staged at Wembley Stadium on the weekend of April 26-27.
Guardiola, who said he was given Haaland’s likely injury timeframe by club doctors, expressed his frustration that injuries have ruined City’s season. Key midfielder Rodri has been out since September with ACL damage and City have been badly affected by injuries to their center
backs, especially.
“Sometimes there are years when this kind of thing happens,” Guardiola said. “It’s happened all season and it could not be different at the end of the season.