Erling Haaland’s substitution for Norway against Portugal sparked fears that the Manchester City striker had suffered an injury just days before the Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Haaland was taken off in the 67th minute of Norway’s 2–1 defeat after appearing to limp and signalling to the bench that he wanted to be replaced.
However, Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has moved to ease those concerns, explaining that the decision was largely related to Haaland’s heavy workload and fatigue rather than a confirmed injury.
Solbakken revealed that he had a “heart-to-heart conversation” with Haaland before the match because the striker had already played three consecutive full international games. The plan was to give him around an hour before considering a substitution.
The Norway boss said Haaland had looked tired during the previous game against Wales and that they had discussed different options for managing his minutes against Portugal. Solbakken was pleased that the forward managed to produce around 60 good minutes before coming off.
The situation is nevertheless being watched closely by Manchester City because Haaland is their main striker and has played in every Premier League match this season. City are scheduled to face Liverpool at Anfield on October 11, giving Haaland several days to recover.
At this stage, there is no confirmed report that Haaland has suffered a significant injury. The immediate explanation from Norway is fatigue and workload management, although his fitness will remain a major talking point ahead of the Liverpool clash.
