Manchester City striker Erling Haaland sparked fitness concerns after signaling for a substitution during Norway’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League on October 5, 2026. National team manager Ståle Solbakken confirmed the early exit was due to exhaustion rather than injury, leaving his status uncertain for an upcoming clash against Liverpool.
Exhaustion Triggers Substitution During Norway Defeat
The fitness concerns surrounding Erling Haaland flared up during a Group 4 match against Portugal. The 26-year-old striker signaled to the bench in the 67th minute, prompting his withdrawal and the introduction of Crystal Palace forward Jørgen Strand Larsen. Shortly after his departure, Gonçalo Ramos secured the victory for Portugal in the 79th minute, sealing a 2-1 result.
Television cameras caught the forward appearing to limp as he left the pitch, immediately setting off alarm bells for his club side. Yet Norway manager Ståle Solbakken moved quickly to dispel notions of a serious medical setback, explaining that the forward’s workload had reached a boiling point.
It was originally planned that the striker would play about an hour. We were hoping he would play for 60 minutes, but he managed to play for 65 minutes. There are a lot of positive things in that.
Exhausted Players Suffer Physical Toll from Grueling Schedules
The physical toll on international players has become a central point of friction between club calendars and national team duties. Solbakken detailed the grueling summer schedule that left several of his squad members operating on minimal rest following deep runs at the World Cup. He noted that Haaland belongs to a group of players carrying an immense burden because he is the basic starter across every competition for his club.
“He was simply completely exhausted. Some of my players only got six or seven days of vacation. You don’t live on your physical fitness in an ordinary job. After that, the season starts immediately, followed by a mini-tournament, which forms an enormous burden.”
Ståle Solbakken, Norway manager
Patrick Berg, the national team midfielder, concurred with his manager’s assessment, pointing out that carrying full 90-minute workloads across consecutive fixtures inevitably drains a player’s reserves by the final whistle.
Manchester City Awaits Medical Assessments Ahead of Anfield Clash
With club football resuming, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca and his technical staff are monitoring the striker’s condition. The team currently holds the top spot in the Premier League table with a perfect 15 points from five matches, while Liverpool sits in sixth place with nine points.
The physical strain arrives at a crucial juncture for the club. Haaland has already netted seven goals across all competitions since the campaign began. If further medical evaluations confirm an underlying injury rather than simple fatigue, his absence would severely deplete City’s attack not only for the upcoming Sunday showdown at Anfield, but also for a midweek Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain.
To help him recover, the player was granted a brief break following international duty, with the squad scheduled to resume full training sessions ahead of the weekend test.
