Haaland substituted through fatigue, not injury, ahead of Liverpool clash at Anfield

Erling Haaland’s early exit from Norway’s 2-1 Nations League defeat to Portugal on Wednesday was caused by fatigue rather than injury, manager Stale Sobakken has confirmed, offering Manchester City a significant boost ahead of their Premier League trip to Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.

Haaland was withdrawn in the 67th minute after appearing to gesture towards the bench requesting a substitution, a moment that immediately sparked concern among City supporters. Sobakken moved quickly to clarify the situation, telling Norwegian outlet TV2 that the plan had always been to limit the striker’s minutes.

“We were hoping for 60 minutes after the conversation we had yesterday, and he managed 65 minutes,” Sobakken said. The Norway boss pointed to the condensed off-season — a consequence of the extended international calendar tied to the World Cup — as the root cause of Haaland’s fatigue.

Haaland was not alone in leaving the stadium promptly after the final whistle. Teammates Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard and Kristoffer Ajer were also reported to have departed quickly, with Sobakken noting the group had been given a few days off by their clubs.

“It wasn’t just Haaland who left early,” the manager said. “There’s a whole bunch of people leaving now. They need a breather. You have to remember that the teams that went far in the World Cup have many players who have had minimal vacation. Then it’s right to the start of the series and then a mini-tournament. It’s an extreme strain.”

Norway defender Leo Ostigard echoed those sentiments, acknowledging the physical toll the schedule has taken on the striker. “He plays an incredible number of games, and he’s a human being too,” Ostigard told TV2. “The vacation hasn’t been the longest, and it’s hard to be at his best in every game.”

For City, the timing of the reassurance is welcome. Haaland has scored seven goals in seven appearances for the club so far this season and will be central to their hopes of taking points from a Liverpool side who sit among the early-season pacesetters in the Premier League.

The Anfield fixture also marks City’s first match since the club was found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules — a verdict City are appealing. With domestic football resuming, attention will return to events on the pitch, and Haaland’s availability will be closely monitored in the days leading up to kick-off.