Erling Haaland sets strict international break order for Manchester City squad after Rodri scare | OneFootball

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has outlined what he expects from his teammates over the course of the October international break after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brentford on Sunday evening.

City claimed their third Premier League victory in four games as a ninth-minute Erling Haaland strike secured another three points on the road for Pep Guardiola’s men, with the GTech Community Stadium observing a minute’s silence ahead of kick-off to honour those affected by the Greater Manchester synagogue terror attack last week.

After being held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League last week, Manchester City dominated possession against Brentford in west London and took an early lead courtesy of their red-hot talisman, with Haaland grabbing his 12th goal in all competitions for City this term.

Josko Gvardiol, who set up Haaland with a similar chipped through ball over the opposition defence in Monaco, was again provider for the Norway international, who shrugged off Brentford defender Sepp van den Berg to smash the ball past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to score his 18th strike of this term for club and country.

As Manchester City navigate a period of transition on and off the pitch – marked by their first season without long-serving Kevin De Bruyne in a decade – Haaland has led by example and dragged his side over the line since the September international break.

City are unbeaten since their 2-1 defeat at Brighton in August left the Blues in the bottom half of the Premier League table, having turned a corner since a stylish 3-0 beating of local rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in mid-September, which marked Gianluigi Donnarumma’s Premier League debut after a deadline day transfer to Manchester City.

Haaland’s form has been aided by Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku displaying signs of returning to their respective bests, with the 25-year-old taking an ever-increasing share of responsibility to do the damage in front of goal for Manchester City as goals have admittedly dried up from midfield and out wide.

Guardiola has expressed concerns over Manchester City’s over-reliance on the Leeds-born attacker to keep winning them games, though Haaland has taken it all in his stride and is displaying the best form of his life in his fourth season at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City were handed a major scare midway through the first-half of their 1-0 win in west London on Sunday when Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was hauled off with a hamstring pull, having struggled with fitness since his long-awaited return to the pitch in the summer after a lengthy ACL lay-off.

However, Rodri provided a great sigh of relief to Manchester City fans after the triumph at the GTech Community Stadium as the 29-year-old confirmed that he was not in great discomfort – despite in-game cameras pointing to the Spain international’s right leg being heavily strapped up in the second-half.

Haaland, speaking to Manchester City’s official channels after the game, made a plea to his teammates to maintain fitness over the upcoming international break. “No stupid injuries or anything for everyone (during the international break) and come back with all energy for Everton,” the striker said.

Rodri is expecting to return to full fitness for Manchester City’s Premier League game against Everton on October 18 – which will see Jack Grealish return to the Etihad Stadium after making a strong start to life on loan in Merseyside, though the 30-year-old will be ineligible to play against his parent club.