Norway boss eases Erling Haaland injury fears after Portugal substitution

Norway boss eases Erling Haaland injury fears after Portugal substitution Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has eased concerns over Erling Haaland after suggesting the striker’s substitution against Portugal was largely planned because of his heavy workload. Haaland was withdrawn after 67 minutes of Norway’s 2-1 Nations League defeat in Porto on Sunday after appearing to signal towards the bench that he wanted to come off. The sight initially raised fears that the Manchester City striker had suffered an injury just a week before his club face Liverpool in the Premier League. However, Solbakken’s comments after the match indicated Norway had already intended to manage Haaland’s minutes and hoped he could complete around an hour. “We were hoping for 60, and he managed 65,” Solbakken told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 . The Norway boss explained that several members of his squad were physically exhausted after an unusually demanding international period. “There are a lot of players who are down in the basement,” Solbakken said. “Berge and Odegaard are kind of down there digging. Erling dug for a long time.” Solbakken added that Haaland “needed a breather” after absorbing considerable physical contact while operating as Norway’s focal point against Portugal. The 26-year-old had started Norway’s previous three fixtures during the international window and completed all 90 minutes on each occasion. Norway faced Denmark, Portugal, Wales and Portugal again across just 10 days, placing significant demands on players who had already returned to club football following a shortened summer break. Haaland acknowledged the difficulty of the schedule himself when asked about the workload by TV2, responding simply: “It’s not easy.” Norway defender Leo Ostigard also played down concerns surrounding his team-mate, pointing towards the enormous number of matches the forward has been required to play. “He plays an incredible number of games, and he’s a human being too,” Ostigard said . The latest update should therefore provide some reassurance to Manchester City before domestic football resumes. Haaland has played every minute of City’s Premier League campaign so far this season and remains central to Enzo Maresca’s plans. He also travelled directly back to England following Sunday’s defeat alongside Martin Odegaard, Sander Berge and Kristoffer Ajer, with their clubs granting them several days away following their international exertions. Haaland will now have an opportunity to recover before City’s significant trip to Anfield on Sunday. Solbakken’s revelation that Norway were only targeting around 60 minutes against Portugal suggests the substitution was primarily a workload-management decision rather than the result of a fresh injury.