Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland says team is focused on the next game and are looking to hit the ground running when the second of the English Premier League resumes with the Boxing Day fixtures on December 26.
Haaland isn’t at the World Cup as Norway were eliminated at the qualifying stage, so he’s been working on his fitness with Manchester City and says he’s “raring to go” when the season resumes.
The 22-year-old scored 23 goals with three assists from 18 games before the World Cup break but picked up a foot injury last month which he needed to recover from.
Haaland played two more Premier League games after the knock to his foot, but the Norwegian international is looking forward to playing again.
Pep Guardiola and his team will then head back to Manchester to meet up with those taking part in the FIFA World Cup after completing their warm weather training camp in Abu Dhabi.
“Our focus is always on the next game. I know it’s cliche, but if you get ahead of yourself then you lose focus. The challenge now is for us to get back up to speed and playing how we know we can. This training camp will be important for a number of us to do that and the rest of the guys will join us when their World Cup ends,” Haaland said while taking time out during the camp.
“The focus will be on getting fit, getting ready and then heading into the Carabao Cup game against Liverpool looking to get a positive result and giving our fans something to be excited about as we head into the second half of the season.”
Reflecting on the season, Haaland said: “It’s been positive. I feel like I’ve settled into the team and the league, which can always take some adapting to, and I’ve been pleased with how it’s started. But it’s not about me. It’s about the team, how we’re performing and the second half of the season is the most important now.”
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position and we’ve had lot of strong performances, but we’re second in the league and that’s not where we want to finish. We have to hit the ground running when we return because we have some tough games across the different competitions and we want to win them all.”
The break in the region has given the 22-year-old the time to reset while also feeling bad that he was not able to be in Qatar with his country.
“Of course, every player wants to be at the World Cup. It’s my dream to represent my country there and I’ll work hard to make sure that I do that one day. But the break has been positive. I’ve had the chance to rest, to take my mind off football for a few weeks and put myself in the best possible place to return. I can’t wait for it to start again. I’m raring to go.”
He added: “The World Cup is great to watch for any football fan. Of course, I would prefer to be there playing, but it’s the best teams and the best players competing against each other. There have been some fantastic performances and some that maybe people wouldn’t have expected. Now we’re into the most exciting part of the tournament when one little mistake and you could be out which makes it even more enjoyable to watch.”
Haaland has missed only one Premier League, one in the EFL Cup and two in the Champions League, so he’s played a lot of football in the last few months – 1380 minutes from 1620 (85.2%).
Julian Alvarez has represented Argentina at the World Cup, so he will likely need a rest when he returns from the tournament. But Pep Guardiola will be delighted that Haaland is fit and available for selection – City are due to face Liverpool in the EFL Cup on December 22.
