Norway has officially announced that Erling Haaland will be absent from the Sunday encounter with Scotland due to an ankle injury sustained earlier this week.
In the 2-0 victory over the Faroe Islands, Haaland entered the match as a substitute and twisted his ankle. Despite playing through the discomfort and completing the full second half, further assessments have led the Norway medical chief to confirm Haaland’s exclusion from the upcoming match against Scotland.
While the injury is not deemed serious, Norway’s chief medical officer, Ola Sand, explained in a statement, “The injury is not serious, but he is in so much pain and has somewhat restricted function that unfortunately makes the Scotland game come a little too early.”
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The latest news from Norway will only heighten the apprehension among Manchester City fans as they gear up for their team’s return to Premier League action against Liverpool on November 25.
In the event that Erling Haaland, who boasts 17 goals in 18 games this season, fails to recuperate from his injury in time for the Liverpool fixture, manager Pep Guardiola might find himself compelled to revert Julian Alvarez to his customary position at the top of the team sheet.
Nevertheless, Alvarez is anticipated to participate in a match with Argentina against Brazil in the early hours of Wednesday morning, potentially leaving him with limited recovery time before Liverpool visits the Etihad at 12:30 (GMT) on Saturday.
Guardiola might also consider turning to another Norwegian talent to fill the void left by Haaland. Oscar Bobb, a 20-year-old winger with seven appearances for City this year, recently scored his first international goal against the Faroe Islands and contributed with an assist.