Erling Haaland injury: Man City striker still ‘not perfect’ despite return

Haaland came off the bench to score a late winner for 10-man City against Fulham but the striker is still recovering from the foot problem

Pep Guardiola has revealed Erling Haaland’s foot injury is “not perfect” despite the Manchester City striker returning to the pitch against Fulham on Saturday.

Haaland came off the bench to score the winner from the penalty spot for 10-man City in added time, after missing the club’s previous two matches due to the injury.

City face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday and host Brentford on Saturday in their final fixture before the Premier League pauses for the Qatar World Cup.

Haaland will not be playing in the World Cup as Norway failed to qualify, but the country have two friendly matches organised for later this month.

However, Guardiola admitted Haaland may be a doubt as he has not fully recovered from the foot problem, with the manager revealing he has suffered ligament damage that could also put his participation in the club’s final two matches before the World Cup in jeopardy.

"He’s not perfect still,” Guardiola said ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup third-round tie with Chelsea. “So we’ll see tomorrow, Saturday. But it’s getting better.

"It’s important the bone is not broken, just the ligament was damaged a little bit. So it’s not perfect right now, but I don’t know, in one week, 10 days, everything can happen. It can change.

"If he feels good, playing in the national team is so important for the players."