The Norwegian Football Association has confirmed that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland will likely be injured and miss Norway’s upcoming matches against Spain and Georgia. With a staggering 28 goals in just 26 Premier League games for Manchester City, the towering striker has arguably been the world’s best forward this season.
The 22-year-old has been crucial to Citizens manager Pep Guardiola’s hopes of winning a third league title in a row, and the Spaniard will be hoping Haaland makes the difference in the UEFA Champions League. It is understandable that he is the representative of the current generation of Norwegian stars as they attempt to secure a spot at the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament.
Haaland scored five goals and provided one assist in just six games for Norway during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers prior to the spectacular tournament in Qatar. However, following their exit from the qualifiers, the Manchester City player and others, including Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, were unable to assist in sending their nation to Qatar.
Haaland will be hoping to make a name for himself on the international stage with Norway ahead of Euro 2024 after establishing himself as the world’s deadliest center forward with his club. In the tournament’s qualifiers, Norway will compete against Spain, Georgia, Cyprus, and Scotland.
It would only be the second time in the Lions’ history that they have participated in a continental competition if they are successful in qualifying.
Pep Guardiola is wary of placing a scoring burden on the explosive Haaland of Manchester City :
Haaland is clearly Manchester City’s biggest threat, as evidenced by his eight goals in his last two games. Despite this, Pep Guardiola appears to be wary of the expectations placed on his star player.
Over the course of the past week, the defending champions of the Premier League played Burnley and RB Leipzig in the UCL and FA Cup, respectively.
They won both games by an overall score of 13-0. Their 7-0 defeat over Leipzig saw the ex-Borussia Dortmund man score multiple times prior to assisting City with clearing to the side Vincent Kompany’s Burnley with a full go-around in midweek.
However, if he is expected to score three goals per game in the future, according to Guardiola, it could be a “problem.” The Catalan said in a press conference before the international break:
“This person will have an issue from now on, individuals will anticipate that he should score three or four objectives in each game and this won’t occur.”
Added he:
“I know him, he doesn’t care, he’s so positive and optimistic in his life, he never complains, and he always looks out for himself.” “It was incredible that he scored nine goals.” “He’s an incredible threat, a power, and his joy of life is always positive and optimistic.”
Haaland will now be determined to set a new record for most goals scored in a Premier League season to immortalize his name in English folklore. When City plays Liverpool on April 1st, he will face Mohamed Salah, who holds that prestigious record.