Haaland Cleared for Man City Return Before Liverpool

Erling Haaland’s early withdrawal for Norway has been confirmed as a workload-management measure rather than a serious injury concern, with the Manchester City striker now due back at the Etihad Campus on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.

Haaland asked to come off in the 67th minute of Norway’s 2-1 Nations League loss to Portugal after feeling muscle fatigue. Norway coach Stale Solbakken said the decision had been planned to protect the 26-year-old after an intense run of club and international commitments.

City have granted Haaland a brief break following the international window. He has scored five times in five league games this season and is expected to resume preparation for the Anfield fixture later this week.

Solbakken said Haaland was exhausted, pointing to the limited rest available to players whose clubs compete across every competition. Several Norway players used a private flight to begin their time off immediately after the Portugal match.

“Erling was completely drained,” Solbakken said, adding that some members of his squad had received only six or seven days’ holiday before returning for the new campaign and then international football. He described the schedule as an extreme burden.

Norway considered leaving Haaland among the substitutes from the start, but the forward did not want that arrangement. Solbakken said the City striker had negative feelings about being used from the bench after previous League Cup experiences, while stressing that Haaland carries one of the game’s heaviest loads as the leading figure for a side involved in every tournament.

City must also check on Nico O’Reilly and Antoine Semenyo, who are recovering from minor problems, before travelling to Merseyside. Liverpool have their own injury concerns after Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak were hurt on international duty, while Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are expected to be unavailable.

The match will be City’s first since an independent commission found the club guilty of 114 financial-rule breaches. The Premier League’s original case involved 115 alleged offences across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City had denied the charges and have appealed the verdict, but the outcome has intensified calls for a major sporting sanction.

Sunday’s meeting at Anfield will therefore arrive with Haaland’s fitness under close watch and City facing renewed scrutiny over the legal case, as both teams attempt to navigate a demanding post-international-break selection picture.