Bellamy backs Haaland to stay focused as Man City guilty verdict looms over Norway camp

Craig Bellamy does not expect Erling Haaland to be derailed by Manchester City’s guilty verdict on all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules, with the Wales manager describing the striker as “a machine” ahead of Norway’s international fixture against his side.

Haaland, 26, had already played his first match since the findings became public on Sunday, scoring Norway’s equaliser in a 2-1 defeat to Portugal — his 65th goal in 57 international appearances. It was a performance that did little to suggest the off-field turbulence surrounding his club had affected him.

“I don’t think he’d be distracted,” Bellamy said at his pre-match press conference. “The guy is a machine. Do you see his record at the international level? He just wants to score, that ain’t stopping.”

Bellamy drew a striking comparison to illustrate Haaland’s current dominance. “When you see certain moments in sporting careers, or certain sports, you remember the Jonah Lomu factor? We’re coming through the Haaland factor at this present moment. Now we will adapt; the game will adapt. How we’ll combat that is another challenge. What always remains is that he’s always alive. Once that ball comes into the box, he’s always alive. We’re talking about a world-class player at the top end.”

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken echoed that assessment, describing Haaland as looking “very good” and “on fire.” The former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager acknowledged one missed chance against Portugal but was otherwise effusive. “He missed one chance against Portugal, one he usually doesn’t miss, but that’s the only thing I can say as a negative.”

When pressed on whether he had spoken to Haaland about the City situation, Solbakken was deliberately guarded. “What we speak about is between him and me,” he said, adding: “I don’t want to deal with that, I don’t know how to deal with it. Maybe you have to go to a couple of other press conferences in the near future. It’s not for me to go into that issue, that’s not one per cent part of my job.”

Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer, who plays alongside Haaland on international duty, said there had been no visible change in the striker’s demeanour. “He’s been exactly the way he always is with the national team,” Ajer said. “He’s really focused on the upcoming games, and I think he’s trying to do the same as everyone else in waiting to see what the outcome is, but right now the main focus is Wales.”

Ajer added that the squad had not discussed the verdict at length. “We’ve not talked too much about it. Obviously, there was a statement released, so it’s quite fresh and new. We’re just footballers — we don’t know all the ins and outs of all the stuff that’s been talked about in the media.”