Pep Guardiola speaks out on Erling Haaland after star sent home | Football | Sport

Pep Guardiola has spoken out on Erling Haaland’s accomplishments for Norway after the Manchester City striker was sent home early from international duty. The 25-year-old bagged a hat-trick, after missing a penalty, in his country’s 5-0 victory over Israel which put them on the verge of securing a place at the 2026 World Cup.

He reached 21 goals for the season for club and country, having taken his international tally to 51 in Oslo, after just 46 matches. But perhaps curiously, Haaland was not only left out of the team for Norway’s next match in the international break, he was sent home from the camp completely.

New Zealand travelled to Norway and secured a 1-1 friendly draw, with Finn Surman opening the scoring before Antonio Nusa equalised just after the hour mark.

It was a slightly more experimental lineup from Stale Solbakken, however, with Wolves talisman Jorgen Strand Larsen leading the line and City starlet Sverre Halseth Nypan awarded his debut off the bench.

Meanwhile, Haaland and a number of his international colleagues had already travelled back to their clubs.

A statement from the Norwegian FA explained: “Sebastian Sebulonsen is in the Norwegian national team squad, he and Sverre Nypan are participating in today’s training.

“Players with particularly tight match schedules are returning home: Alexander Sorloth, Julian Ryerson, Erling Braut Haaland and Fredrik Bjorkan. Felix Horn Myhre is leaving the squad due to a sore ankle.”

Guardiola will be grateful that his star striker was given a rare rest by Norway, as he goes about preparing City for the visit of Everton to the Etihad on Saturday.

When asked if this is the best he has seen Haaland, Guardiola replied: “I think it is. His influence feels really good, performance level is outstanding.

“What I say is when he’s going to drop, because it’s impossible to sustain that, I will be there, we will be there. We have this passion to help the team to do it, always we have to sustain that in bad moments. Now he doesn’t need compliments, and doesn’t need anything special.

“But it’s really good because Norway have not been in those big competitions for a long time and for him and Norway to go to the States would be really nice and really important.”

Guardiola will be without Rodri, who is being managed after a long-term injury, while Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are closing in on returns.