Erling Haaland played just 45 minutes in Manchester City's Premier League clash against Aston Villa; City play Arsenal on Wednesday night at The Emirates in a pivotal game in the title race
Monday 13 February 2023 09:13, UK
Erling Haaland was substituted at half-time of Manchester City's Premier League game with Aston Villa after sustaining an apparent thigh injury.
The striker appeared to be struggling with a thigh problem after a collision with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez midway through the half. He managed to play on and grabbed an assist for Ilkay Gundogan's goal as City led 3-0 at half-time and eventually won the game 3-1 after Ollie Watkins responded for Villa in the second half.
However, he was replaced by Julian Alvarez at the break, leaving doubts over his fitness for Wednesday's crucial Premier League meeting with leaders Arsenal.
Speaking after the game, City boss Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports: "He had a big knock and was uncomfortable.
"We didn't want to take a risk and we will assess over the next days.
"Hopefully he is ready [for the Arsenal game on Wednesday], but we will see."
When asked about his squad depth to cover injuries to key players, Guardiola said: "We have 18-19 players - a small squad, maybe the smallest one in the Premier League so far. It's important not to have injuries but we have an incredible methodology for training so to avoid fatigue. We have incredible doctors, physios - many years I've been fighting for that."
