Sources: Man City fear Erling Haaland breakdown as new details revealed
Man City are minutely planning Erling Haaland’s training and playing schedule this season to ensure he does not suffer a repeat of the injuries that plagued him at Borussia Dortmund, sources have told Football Insider.
The superstar striker, 22, has made a sensational impact since joining City as the headline Premier League summer signing.
He has started all nine of the club’s Premier League and Champions League matches as well as the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool and accumulated 824 minutes already.
Pep Guardiola and his backroom staff are assessing every single training and playing minute undertaken by Haaland to ensure he is getting enough rest and recovery time.
That is why the club sent their own sports therapist Mario Pafundi to monitor the giant forward while he was on duty with Norway during the recent international break.
City plan to rest and rotate Haaland at opportune times this season, including before the last of the club’s fixtures on 12 November that precedes the extended domestic season break before the World Cup.
Norway’s absence from that tournament works in City’s favour and ensures their star man can be in top condition for the turn of the year, assuming he can avoid a serious injury.
City coaches are well aware of Haaland’s availability record in Germany, where he missed 16 Dortmund matches last season and 10 the campaign before.
During Haaland’s first season at Dortmund, after he joined in January 2020, he played a total of 18 games (15 of those in the Bundesliga). In 2020-21 in his first full season that number jumped to 41 games, before injuries forced a drop to 30 last season.
It is a record that is counterbalanced by the Norway international’s remarkable scoring record, illustrated by his stunning haul of 14 goals for City this season.
There were accusations that Dortmund over-trained their first-team stars last season, leading to multiple muscle injuries that usually prevented Marco Rose from selecting his best XI.
In other news, sources: Man City reach ‘agreement in principle’ on £78m Phil Foden deal.