Pep Guardiola announced that Erling Haaland will be sidelined for ‘five to seven weeks’ due to an ankle injury.

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In a significant blow for Manchester City, striker Erling Haaland is set to be sidelined for up to seven weeks due to an ankle injury sustained during the FA Cup quarter-final victory over Bournemouth. The Norwegian forward left the stadium on crutches and in a protective boot, casting doubt over his participation in the remainder of the Premier League season.

City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the severity of the injury, stating, “They told me the doctors say between five to seven weeks. So hopefully by the end of the season and by the Club World Cup he will be ready.” Guardiola acknowledged the challenges his squad has faced this season, remarking, “Sometimes there are years when these kinds of things happen. It happened all season.”

Currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table, City find themselves just one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea, with nine matches left to play. The team has been plagued by injury woes, with the ACL tear suffered by Rodri in September being particularly impactful, ruling him out for the entire campaign thus far.

If Haaland’s recovery takes the full five weeks, he will miss five crucial Premier League fixtures, as well as the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 26. The FA Cup final is scheduled for May 17, and City will also be competing in the Club World Cup following the conclusion of the domestic season, starting their campaign against Wydad AC on June 18.

Guardiola expressed confidence in his squad’s ability to adapt in Haaland’s absence, stating, “We don’t have another player with his skills or specific qualities, we know that, but we have to adapt. For many years, we’ve played with different ways up front and it depends on the qualities of the players. We’re going to find another solution.”

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