Erling Haaland set to miss games against Spain and Georgia as he withdraws from Norway squad due to injury
Manchester City's Erling Haaland is set to miss Norway's upcoming fixtures against Spain and Georgia via injury, as confirmed by the Norwegian FA.
The towering striker has arguably been the most in-form forward in world football this season, having scored a whopping 28 goals in just 26 Premier League appearances for Manchester City.
The 22-year-old has been central to Pep Guardiola's hopes of winning a third successive league title with the Cityzens and the Spaniard will hope Haaland makes the difference in the UEFA Champions League. Understandably, he is the flag bearer for the current generation of Norwegian stars as they look to book their place at the UEFA Euro 2024.
Kampene mot Spania og Georgia går dessverre uten Erling Braut Haaland. Han har reist hjem grunnet skade. Les mer her: fotball.no/landslag/norge…
Haaland was in top form for Norway during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers prior to the spectacular tournament in Qatar, scoring five and setting up one in just six games. However, the Manchester City man — along with the likes of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard — failed to help send their nation to Qatar after crashing out of the qualifiers.
After establishing himself as the deadliest center-forward on the planet with his club, Haaland will hope to make his mark on the international stage with Norway ahead of Euro 2024.
Norway has been pitted against Spain, Georgia, Cyprus, and Scotland in the qualifiers for the tournament. Should they manage to qualify successfully, it would only be the second time that the Lions would appear in continental competition in their history.
Pep Guardiola wary of scoring burden on Manchester City's red-hot Haaland
With eight goals in his last two outings, it has become evident that Haaland is the biggest threat among Manchester City's ranks. Still, Pep Guardiola appears wary of the burden of expectation on his star man.
The reigning Premier League champions hosted RB Leipzig and Burnley in the UCL and FA Cup respectively over the last week, winning both games by an aggregate scoreline of 13-0. Their 7-0 rout over Leipzig saw the ex-Borussia Dortmund man score five times before helping City sweep aside Vincent Kompany's Burnley with a hat-trick in midweek.
Guardiola, however, believes that it could be a 'problem' in the future should he be expected to score three goals a game. Speaking at a presser ahead of the international break, the Catalan expressed:
"This guy will have a problem in the future, people will expect him to score three or four goals in each game and this isn't going to happen."
6 - Erling Haaland has scored more hat-tricks in all competitions this season (6) than every other Premier League player combined (5).
6 - Erling Haaland
1 - Mohamed Salah
1 - Ivan Toney
1 - Son Heung-min
1 - Phil Foden
1 - Leandro Trossard
Gamebreaker. https://t.co/zrgyztn42G
He added:
"I know him, he doesn't care, he's so positive in his life so optimistic, never complain, always looks out for himself It was incredible he scored nine goals, he's an incredible threat, a power, his joy of life is always positive, optimistic, that helps."
Haaland will now have his sights set firmly on breaking the all-time goalscoring record in a season in the Premier League era to etch his name into English folklore. He is set to face the holder of that prestigious record, Mohamed Salah, when City host Liverpool on the 1st of April.