Pep Guardiola has admitted that striker Erling Haaland remains an injury concern, despite the Norwegian making a goalscoring return to the team at the weekend.
Haaland came on as a second-half substitute, after missing the previous two games due to illness and injury, and scored an injury-time winner at home to Fulham on Saturday – his 23rd goal of the season.
The 22-year-old showed no sign of any concerns when he fired home his late penalty and admitted after the match that it had been “one of the most nervous moments” of his life.
“It was a fantastic feeling to score,” Haaland said. “I love it. I have been injured for a week and it was really important for us to win.”
But Guardiola, speaking ahead of Wednesday's League Cup third-round tie against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium, revealed that the Norwegian is not yet fully fit.
“He is still not perfect. We will see tomorrow and on Saturday [before the Premier League game against Brentford],” said the Spaniard.
“He is getting better. What's important is the bone is not broken so there's no damage, just the ligament is damaged a little bit. It's not perfect right now, but in one week or 10 days anything can happen – it can change.”
Ths Spanish manager was also asked whether he would be happy for Haaland to play two friendlies for Norway against Republic of Ireland and Finland next week.
“If he feels good,” Guardiola added. “To play for the national team is important for the players. I have no problem for players to when they are fit to play for the national team.”
Man City 2 Fulham 1: player ratings
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager also revealed that defender Kyle Walker and midfielder Kalvin Phillips are still not fully recovered from their respective groin and shoulder problems.
While he confirmed Phillips will be in the squad to face Graham Potter's side, Guardiola said Walker will not feature and on their potential involvement in the World Cup with England, he added: “That is up to Gareth Southgate. I cannot answer, I don't know what is the plan.
“I think they are communicating with the physios and doctors – the club and the English national team. Apart from that I cannot answer you, I don't know.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday, Phillips – a summer signing from Leeds United who has made just three substitute appearances since moving to City – insisted he was “very hopeful” of making England's squad for the finals in Qatar.
“The shoulder's perfectly fine now,” he said. “I have gone through a seven-week process of recovering as fast as I possibly can for the World Cup. Everything is going great.
“I've obviously not done it for quite a long time now but I've kept my fitness up and I'd like to think I could play 90 minutes.”
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
