Pep Guardiola hopeful Erling Haaland will make swift return | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has offered a cautiously optimistic update on Erling Haaland (25) after the striker was withdrawn during Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

Haaland, who put City ahead with a clinical ninth-minute finish at the Emirates, was substituted with 15 minutes remaining, sparking fears of a setback. The 25-year-old was seen in deep conversation with Guardiola on the bench, raising further questions about his condition.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Huddersfield, Guardiola downplayed concerns but admitted his top scorer has not trained since the weekend.

“He didn’t train [this week]. Yesterday was recovery. Today I didn’t see him or the rest of the players yet,” Guardiola told reporters, via Sky Sports. “But hopefully [he is fine] for next weekend. I think he will be fine, I hope so.”

With City juggling domestic and European commitments, Guardiola confirmed changes are expected for the Huddersfield match.“Absolutely [there will be changes],” he added. “It’s not going to be the same starting 11 as the last three games. It will be a mix of the first team and academy because the priority is Brentford and Monaco.”

GFN | Finn Entwistle