Pep Guardiola Crushes False Narratives Around Erling Haaland’s Return From Injury – “If People Say It’s 6 to 8 Weeks..”

The soccer world continues to hold its breath over the impending return of Erling Haaland. It has been weeks since the Norwegian superstar has seen action, as he remains Manchester City’s missing piece of the puzzle. As he inches closer to recovery, a mist of false narratives engulfed the conversation surrounding his return. However, Pep Guardiola squashed these stories, insisting Haaland is ‘at the end‘ of his rehabilitation. The Sky Blues have been dealing with a lot of injury setbacks, losing many of their stars.

While the majority of players have returned, Erling Haaland continues to make everyone wait. As the clock ticks, Guardiola broke his silence over the 23-year-old’s expected return. Speaking ahead of the FA Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur, he said, “If people say six to eight weeks, it’s six to eight weeks! It’s not about as much as you work, go to Abu Dhabi or don’t go and it will be short. The bone needs time to close, to make his procedure, and now he’s at the end.” There were rumors in the air that Haaland would take more time than expected to make a comeback. But Guardiola has swiftly refuted such claims.

Yet the Spanish tactician maintains the gravity of Erling Haaland’s injury, which suggests that he isn’t eager to rush or risk his goalscorer’s return. Already, the recent Globe Soccer Best Men’s Player of the Year winner suffered a relapse over his stress reaction to the bone. However, what’s Guardiola’s verdict surrounding the Norwegian’s availability for the Tottenham clash?

Pep Guardiola revealed that Erling Haaland is ‘not ready‘ for tonight’s match against Tottenham but again expressed his optimism, stating he’s ‘close.’

Guardiola clarifies the absentees and squad situation for the Tottenham game, especially Erling Haaland

The Spaniard also provided details about the 23-year-old’s training progress: “Training camp was good [in Abu Dhabi], and he trained here the last few days. He’s not perfect.” Erling Haaland isn’t alone, as we can also see defender Manuel Akanji miss the crucial match. But not all hope is lost. Pep Guardiola claimed that John Stones is fit enough to travel with the team to face Ange Postecoglou’s side.

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Likewise, the gaffer also fired optimistic remarks regarding Ederson, indicating that he is “fine.” Estimated recovery timelines indicate that both Haaland and Akanji could make a return at the end of the month and can feature against Burnley on January 31.

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