After nearly two months on the sideline, Erling Haaland will be available for Manchester City when they take on Burnley in Premier League action on Wednesday.
"First time he is back," manager Pep Guardiola said in a press conference on Tuesday, per ESPN. "We have all the squad, we are stronger. He is an important player for us."
Haaland's return serves as a major boost for City, who spent a chunk of the first half of the season without the Norwegian striker and star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, who returned to play late last month after injuring his hamstring in August. Both will likely be key as City chase Liverpool, who are currently five points ahead of them in the race for the Premier League title, as well as a second successive Champions League triumph. The team are also still active in the FA Cup.
The striker's return is a long-awaited one, and the timeline for his recovery has been a constantly-moving target. Haaland originally picked up the foot injury on Dec. 6 in City's 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, and Guardiola initially described it as a short-term one. The manager believed he would be back in training the following week without putting a date on his competitive return and Guaridola also hoped Haaland would be able to join them at the Club World Cup later that month.
Haaland, though, did not actually feature for City the rest of the year and was unable to fully train with the team for the rest of 2023.
"Still he's not with the team," Guardiola told broadcasters after their 3-1 win over Everton on Dec. 27. "He feels better with his bone but he hasn't made one training session with us. Unfortunately December is so congested with so many teams. January is so congested. Hopefully in January he can come back with us."
Ahead of their 5-0 FA Cup victory on Jan. 7, Guardiola finally had a positive -- but minor -- update on Haaland's status, saying he participated in the previous two or three training sessions. The player was able to take part in their winter training camp in Abu Dhabi the following week, but Guardiola was still hesitant to place a date on Haaland's return to play.
"It's the bone," Guardiola said before their 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Jan. 13, per Reuters. "It needs time. It's fine, but the doctors decided to stop for one week and maybe restart in Abu Dhabi. Hopefully, at the end of this month, he'll be ready. It was a little bit more than we expected in the beginning. We need him. Hopefully he can come back and play the last four or five months without a problem."
The manager hinted at Haaland's return ahead of their FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur on Friday, though admitted that match was still too soon for his return.
"He is on the verge to come back," Guardiola said last week, per Reuters. "Tomorrow still he's not ready but he's close. Training camp was good, trained some sessions and the last two days here he trained but he's not perfect and we wait a little bit more."
City have won almost all of their games since Haaland picked up an injury, though the early stretch of games were part of a downward trend that the team has worked hard to reverse in recent weeks. Haaland missed a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace just before the successful trip to the Club World Cup, as well as the win over Everton in which City struggled and a nervy victory over Newcastle in the new year.
The reigning Premier League and European champions, though, are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions and are now nearing full fitness, which could reignite both races for silverware with the second half of the season underway.
