In the midst of their title race with Arsenal, Manchester City faces a new concern: Erling Haaland was spotted leaving St. James’ Park limping after their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.
Pep Guardiola mentioned that Haaland had taken “some hits” and would be evaluated in the coming days. Despite playing through the game with a bloody heel following a clash with Dan Burn in the first half, Haaland managed to finish the match.
However, after the game, the Norwegian star was seen limping out of the locker room, raising concerns about his fitness.
When asked about Haaland’s condition, Guardiola responded, “He has some knocks, we will see in a few days.”
This comes after the initial worry over Rodri, who suffered a knee ligament injury 21 minutes into last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
City’s squad depth was already stretched during the Newcastle match, with not all substitutes available.
If Haaland, who scored ten goals last season but missed 14 games due to injury, were to miss time, it would weaken Man City’s attack and bolster Arsenal’s title chances, especially with their captain Martin Odegaard currently sidelined.
The rivalry between the two teams has intensified since last weekend’s match. This week, Mikel Arteta made remarks that irked Guardiola, suggesting that City might have used “dark arts” tactics in response to criticisms of Arsenal’s conduct in Manchester.
Arteta, who spent four years at City, said, “I’ve been there, I know what it’s like. Trust me.” Guardiola responded on Friday, saying, “Next time, Mikel needs to be more clear… He knows exactly what he meant when he said that.”
