Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has not started a game for Pep Guardiola’s side since the champions lost at Aston Villa on December 6
Erling Haaland has not started for Manchester City since the start of December(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester City could be ready to welcome Erling Haaland back to their starting line-up at Brentford on Monday night following the striker’s two-month lay-off with a foot injury.
Haaland last started a match for Pep Guardiola’s side on December 6, when the champions fell to a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa. The injury forced the Norwegian to miss the club’s successful FIFA World Club Cup campaign in December, the FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town and five Premier League matches.
Although only two points were dropped by the Citizens in that period, his return will be a huge boost for the club as they look to reel in Liverpool, who could be eight points ahead of City by the time Guardiola’s men kick-off on Monday evening.
Will Manchester City star Erling Haaland be fit enough to play against Brentford on Monday night?
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola speaks to Erling Haaland (Image credit: Getty Images)
Given that Haaland was back on the pitch for the final 19 minutes of City’s 3-1 win over Burnley on Wednesday night, there is a very good chance he will involved against Brentford and is a potential starter.
Prior to the win over the Clarets, Guardiola sent a somewhat ominous warning to the rest of the Premier League, insisting that last season’s record-breaking goalscorer is ‘refreshed’ and ready to add to the 14 goals he has already scored this term.
“Now he feels better, he doesn't have pain and makes four, five, six training sessions in a row and feels good. That is the best news,” said Guardiola.
“To not have pain is good because it is not muscular, it is bone. But he has had two months out so he needs rhythm. Maybe from the beginning he will start, maybe the last minutes. We will see.
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“He's been bored, he wants to play. But at the same time he has refreshed his mind. When he came back from summer he was a little bit tired from the first season having never played this amount of games and the finals we had in the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League.
“He was a little bit tired mentally and maybe it has helped him to refresh and now he's 'wow, I want to play and help the team and score goals'. Maybe it will help us for the last part of the season.”
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
