Man City grant Erling Haaland request ahead of Liverpool game as ‘spent’ claim made

Haaland asked to be substituted in Norway's Nations League clash against Portugal.

Erling Haaland has been granted 'a short holiday' before he returns to Manchester City as the 'spent' forward faces a race against time to be fit for Sunday's Premier League clash against Liverpool.

Last week, Haaland asked to be substituted in the 67th minute of Norway's 2-1 defeat to Portugal, a decision that sparked concerns over a potential injury.

However, Norway head coach Stale Solbakken soon played down those fears, confirming that Haaland's early departure from the Nations League fixture was pre-planned following a gruelling schedule.

"Erling was simply thoroughly spent," said Solbakken.

“Some ⁠of my players have only had six or seven days of holiday. And you do not live off your physical condition in a normal job. Then it is straight into the start of the season, followed by a mini-tournament, so it is an extreme strain."

Solbakken added: “He’s in the group that carries the heaviest workload – precisely because his team plays in every tournament and he’s the main man."

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It remains unclear whether Haaland will be fit in time for Sunday’s clash at Anfield, but it has emerged that the striker has been allowed a short holiday before he returns to the Etihad Campus on Thursday, according to The Sun.

Solbakken also confirmed that Haaland was given the option to start on the bench against Portugal, but he refused.

“Erling could perhaps have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal. That was a discussion," he said. “But he has very bad vibes and feelings about that. He has experienced being put on in the League Cup, and it wasn't great."

Coming into the game, City will assess the condition of Nico O'Reilly and Antoine Semenyo as they continue to recover from injuries.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel described O’Reilly’s issue as “minor”, while Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku said that Semenyo had a swollen leg.

In terms of Liverpool team news, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo picked up injuries on international duty, while Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Federico Chiesa are expected to miss out.

Topics: Man City, Liverpool, Premier League, Erling Haaland, Norway

Jack Kenmare is a Senior Journalist at SPORTbible, covering a range of different sports, including football, darts and athletics. In his role at SPORTbible, Jack specialises in long-form feature writing, with some of his previous interviews featuring some of the biggest and most relevant names in sport. He graduated with a BA Hons (2:1) in Journalism and News Practice from Teesside University. He joined SPORTbible in 2015 to cover news and trending stories.

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