Erling Haaland 'won't play at Club World Cup' as Man City fans fear injury is 'bad'

Posted Wednesday, December 20, 2023 by Dailystar.co.uk

It has been revealed the Norwegian star striker will play no part in the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia as well as two of his team-mates as the Citizens kick off their campaign on Tuesday

Erling Haaland 'won't play at Club World Cup' as Man City fans fear injury is 'bad'
Haaland is set to miss the duration of the Club World Cup with a foot injury

Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku will all miss the duration of the Club World Cup.

Manchester City kicked off their CWC campaign against Urawa Red Diamonds in Jeddah on Tuesday, but it has now been claimed by the MailOnline the trio are likely to miss any games played in the Middle East this month.

The prolific striker sat out his third straight match at the weekend as Man City blew a 2-0 lead to Crystal Palace, with the 23-year-old recovering from a foot injury.

Haaland was initially included in the 23-man squad for the semi-final on Tuesday, but was removed hours before kick off, along with Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne. The trio will missed the semi-final and potentially the final against Brazilian side Fluminese.

De Bruyne was spotted completing a full training session with the City squad on Monday but is yet to make a full recovery from a long-term hamstring injury, which has seen him sit out the majority of the season as City slump in the league.

The most recent recruit of the three, Belgian winger Doku, who joined from French side Rennes has been ruled out of competition after also suffering a hamstring injury.

Erling Haaland 'won't play at Club World Cup' as Man City fans fear injury is 'bad'
De Bruyne returned to training on Monday after a lengthy spell out following a hamstring injury (Image: Getty Images)

Doku, 21, has burst onto the scene since arriving in Manchester this season, with the pacy winger's flair a big loss for Pep Guardiola's side.

The Sky Blues face a hectic festive period as they face Everton on Wednesday, December 27, as soon as they return from Saudi Arabia before hosting bottom of the table Sheffield United on December 30.

Man City currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, five points behind Arsenal, with a round of 16 tie against Copenhagen being announced on Monday. Guardiola is sure to be eyeing up more silverware this season to add to the side's dominant collection as question marks continue over how long the Spaniard will stay in Manchester.