Erling Haaland was substituted at half-time during Man City’s draw with Barcelona.
Manchester City star Erling Haaland was feeling ‘uncomfortable’ before being withdrawn in the friendly draw with Barcelona, Pep Guardiola has revealed. The striker was taken off at half-time having struggled to have an impact on the first half in Orlando.
Haaland enjoyed a free summer with Norway failing to qualify for Euro 2024. However, Guardiola revealed that the 24-year-old has been feeling discomfort in a muscle during pre-season and City did not want to gamble on his fitness.
The City boss, who has navigated pre-season with a patched-up squad mostly made up of young players and a few senior stars, wants Haaland to step up training despite taking him off against the Spanish side.
“The season is there, around the corner. He has niggles, muscular, we don’t want to take a risk and lose him for three weeks or a month. That would be a problem.
“He didn’t feel good and that’s why he didn’t play the second half. Sixty to 70 per-cent of the squad are on holiday. That’s why we need the players.
“At the same time, we have alternatives, Oscar [Bobb] makes an incredible job again. We’re pleased with many things.”
Guardiola will be hopeful that a fully fit Haaland will start the 2024-25 Premier League season. The former Borussia Dortmund star missed nearly two months last term with a foot injury, before missing a further two games later in the year with a muscular issue.
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish has overcome the disappointment of missing out on the England squad by enjoying a positive pre-season. He scored in the 2-2 draw with Barca on Tuesday.
The La Liga side, Guardiola’s former club, went ahead through Pau Victor. City youngster Nico O’Reilly equalised. Pablo Torre restored Barca’s lead on the stroke of half-time, with Haaland withdrawn at the subsequent break. Grealish equalised on the hour-mark.
The City playmaker will be hoping for a much better campaign at the Etihad Stadium. He struggled to win a regular place in Guardiola’s Premier League title-winning side last season and subsequently missed out on going to Euro 2024 with England.
Grealish said this week: “If I sit here and say that I don’t feel like I should have been in the squad, you’re gonna be thinking, ‘What’s this guy like? What’s he thinking?’. So, of course, I thought I should have been in the squad.
“I felt like I offer something different to the players in the England squad, but it is what it is.”
