Erling Haaland faces up to seven weeks on the sidelines with the ankle injury he suffered in Sunday’s FA Cup quarterfinal win over Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
The Norway striker limped out in the second half of the 2-1 victory at Dean Court, attempting to carry on in vain after crashing into the advertising hoardings. Moments earlier Haaland had scored his 30th goal of the season. He will have only a handful more opportunities to add to that.
“The doctors told me between five and seven weeks,” said Guardiola. “So hopefully the end of the season and the Club World Cup he will be ready.”
An absence of the full seven weeks would mean Haaland potentially only returning in time for the final game of the season away to Fulham and would mean missing a potential FA Cup Final, scheduled for May 17. Even a shorter absence would leave City without perhaps their most important individual player for a critical run of fixtures as Guardiola’s side attempt to qualify for the Champions League again. The defending champions currently sit fifth in the table, only a point ahead of Brighton and Newcastle ahead of Wednesday night’s meeting with Leicester City.
Guardiola’s assessment does however mean that Haaland should be available to play a full part in the Club World Cup, where City will face Wydad AC, Al Ain and Juventus in a group stage that begins for them on June 18.
Haaland’s absence will be significantly felt though perhaps not as keenly had it not been for the club’s January business. Omar Marmoush may not be a natural line leader in the same way as the No.9 but he is at least the sort of gap-plugging option that they simply did not have when Julian Alvarez was allowed to leave for Atletico Madrid in the summer. Marmoush has five goals and an assist across 11 games in all competitions since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt.
City have been wracked by injuries this season, most notably the extended absence of Rodri after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in September. “Sometimes there are years where these kinds of things happen,” said Guardiola. “It’s happened all season. I would say it could have been different if it was at the end of season.
“All injuries that happen all season I am sorry for them and I am sorry for Erling too. As quick a recovery as possible to come back. We don’t have another player with his skills or specific qualities we know that but we have to adapt.
“For many years we play with different ways up front and it depends on the qualities of the players we’re going to find another solution. We will find a solution for the players that we have with different skills and qualities. We will find that.”
