"Main thing is the bone was not broken" - Pep Guardiola provides update on Manchester City star Erling Haaland

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Erling Haaland does not have a fracture, but admitted that he’s unlikely to feature for City before the FIFA World Cup.

City’s sharpshooter Haaland missed the clashes against Leicester City and Sevilla due to a foot injury. He came off the bench to score the decisive penalty in Saturday’s (November 5) 2-1 Premier League victory over Fulham, alleviating fears that his injury was serious.

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s EFL Cup third-round clash against Chelsea (November 9), Guardiola confirmed that Haaland didn’t have a fracture, but admitted that he wasn’t fit enough to play. The former Barcelona manager said (via Irish Independent):

“He is still not perfect.

“He is getting better. The main thing is the bone was not broken - the ligament is damaged a little bit, so he's still not perfect right now.”

When asked whether or not Haaland would be able to represent Norway against Ireland and Finland in the international friendlies later this month, Guardiola replied:

“If he feels good, he will play for the national team - it is so important for the players.

“I never stop players playing for their national team.”

Haaland has been in sensational form for Manchester City in the 2022-23 season. The former Borussia Dortmund man has scored 18 goals and claimed three assists in 12 Premier League games. He has further added five goals in four Champions League appearances for the defending English champions.

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola wants fans to give Raheem Sterling a warm welcome

Despite Chelsea star Raheem Sterling’s criticism of his managerial style, Guardiola has urged the Cityzens to give a warm welcome to their former player on Wednesday. It will be Sterling's first visit to the Etihad Stadium following his Chelsea departure in the summer.

Guardiola insisted that Sterling and City departed on a positive note and asked everyone to focus on the successes that they achieved together instead of the recent comments. He told the press (via the Manchester Evening News):

“I hope so, definitely hope so [whether or not he expected a positive reception for Sterling].

“Always I like clubs when they welcome the guys who have been here many years, being a key figure, an important role in our team in all these years. Maybe you forget what happen in the last month, but that's not a reality of what happens in the last six or seven years he was here.”

The Manchester City boss concluded by saying:

“We left on a] good relationship. We worked six years here together every day, working, playing a lot of games. Playing the most important games. Probably the most important game we played in the final of the Champions League, he was there. If he’s happy, we’re happy.”

Sterling was at Manchester City for seven long seasons between 2015-16 and 2021-22, scoring 131 goals in 339 games and winning four Premier League titles, amongst other honors.