Pep Guardiola took the striker off at half time but will be hoping the issue is not serious
Manchester City will be sweating over Erling Haaland’s fitness after the striker sustained an injury in their game against Fulham at the Etihad.
Haaland did not return to the pitch for the second half against the Cottagers on Wednesday night, having complained of an injury problem in the dressing room. He was replaced by Omar Marmoush.
It’s a big blow for Pep Guardiola’s side, in full flow and hunting Arsenal down for the Premier League title. City temporarily closed the gap to the Gunners to three points after the 3-0 win over Fulham.
Haaland was among the goals, scoring with a delightfully struck effort into the bottom corner to make it three goals for City in the opening period. It was the Norwegian’s first non-penalty goal in the league since 20 December, having struggled recently with what Guardiola said was fatigue.
A neat @ErlingHaaland finish 🎯 pic.twitter.com/PzmifPYsGl
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 12, 2026
Before the Fulham game, Guardiola called for the media to ease pressure on Haaland over his poor scoring form.
“We cannot forget he’s not 29, 30 years old,” said Guardiola. “He’s young and it’s part of the process. Every season he lives, he’s a better player for the next one. How he knows his body better, how he knows what it means to play every day.
“We cannot forget the last games. Maybe he doesn’t have the numbers that he wants, but we are in the position that we are thanks to him.
“For three-quarters of the season, if he didn’t score, I don’t know who’s going to score. We are in the position in the Champions League, and especially in the Premier League, without Erling it would not be possible.
“The reason why he is tired, a little bit down, it’s down to one reason – the calendar. So no more than that.”
Haaland also referenced fatigue in his comments about his form, also mentioning that it was important to take it easy and try not to get injured.
“I don’t want to speak about why I haven’t performed,” Haaland said earlier this week. “I don’t think there’s any excuse. Fatigue is a lot in the head. It is a lot of games. Look at the schedule: it’s not easy. For me, it’s about staying fit, don’t get injured. That’s the most important thing.”
City will rue an extended absence, but it is possible the player could recover quickly following the precautionary move to remove him at the break.
“[He had] some problems, he feels uncomfortable, it was 3-0, of course,” Guardiola said after Wednesday’s game. “I didn’t speak with the doctors, I don’t know exactly what he has. Just fatigue or something.
“He said ‘I don’t feel comfortable’ and with 3-0, with a lot of games, having Omar [Marmoush] – common sense.”
