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Norway manager Stale Solbakken has revealed that Erling Haaland took it hard when he was ruled out of their upcoming matches. The Manchester City striker is nursing a groin injury he suffered in the FA Cup win over Burnley.
Haaland scored a hat-trick against Burnley in the FA Cup last weekend but was taken off in the second half. The striker was replaced by Cole Palmer just after the hour mark - four minutes after he sealed his hat-trick.
Speaking to the media today, Solbakken said that the striker was not pleased when he found out about the injury. He said:
"Erling [Haaland] took it hard when he realized that he could not fight for the team. Fortunately, there is still plenty of self-confidence, talent and cohesion in this group to win points in the next matches. We are not going to hang on one millimetre, but continue our work to be maximally prepared for Saturday and Tuesday."
Norway's statement confirmed that the striker had a groin issue and was thus ruled out.
"Erling Braut Haaland had some pain in his groin after the match against Burnley. We hoped that this was just a familiarity that would carry over to Saturday. After doing tests and examinations yesterday it became clear that he will not make it to the games against Spain and Georgia."
Pep Guardiola has been managing Erling Haaland's minutes
Pep Guardiola has been managing the minutes of Erling Haaland in the last few matches. The striker scored five goals against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League match and was subbed off in the second half.
When quizzed about the change, Guardiola joked:
"If he achieves this milestone at 22, 23, it will be boring his life. He wouldn't have a target to reach in the future. Here and everywhere. That's why I make a substitution. I didn't know about Messi with Leverkusen (when he scored five against them in 2012), but I make a substitution because normally when the game is over we want them to play. He scored five goals. The problem is every time we don't score two or three he will be criticised. This is the reality."
The Manchester City manager joked again and claimed he had taken the striker off in the FA Cup to protect Lionel Messi's record in the tournament.
