February 15th 2025.
During Manchester City's 4-0 victory over Newcastle United, manager Pep Guardiola provided an update on the condition of Erling Haaland, one of the team's star strikers. According to pundit Paul Merson, Guardiola was visibly worried when Haaland was forced to leave the game in the 88th minute due to an off-the-ball incident. Haaland was seen holding his right knee and wincing in pain, causing Merson to fear that he may have suffered an ACL injury.
However, Guardiola reassured everyone that Haaland's injury may not be as serious as initially thought. After the game, Guardiola stated, "When he was down, everyone was scared. But he got up and walked away with a smile as always. I haven't spoken to him or the doctors yet, but they didn't seem to have any bad news, so hopefully he is fine. Maybe it's not as bad as we feared."
Merson, who witnessed the incident live, described it as Haaland's knee giving way and him looking uncomfortable. Guardiola's reaction of putting his head in his hands added to the tension, but thankfully, Haaland was able to walk off the field on his own. Merson expressed relief, saying, "He looks alright, thank god. When he first did it, it looked very worrying. Hopefully he'll be alright for Wednesday night."
Guardiola also revealed that Haaland has been chosen as one of the team's captains, alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Rodri. This decision was made after Kyle Walker's departure in the January transfer window. Guardiola explained, "When Kyle left, Kevin became the first in line, and I nominated Erling to be a captain. When a player has been here for 10 years, sooner or later, they take on that responsibility. It's nice to see that it's the first time this has happened in the Premier League."
Haaland, who recently signed a 10-year contract, has been in top form this season, scoring 27 goals in 35 games. In the game against Newcastle, he even registered an assist for James McAtee's goal. With City facing a crucial Champions League play-off against Real Madrid on Wednesday, they will be hoping to have Haaland fully fit and ready to continue his impressive run. Currently trailing 3-2 after the first leg, City will need all their star players, including Haaland, on the pitch to secure a spot in the next round.
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