Haaland injury scare leaves Manchester City waiting

Erling Haaland was taken off in the 67th minute of Norway's 1-2 defeat of Portugal, and the manner of his exit is now the main issue for Manchester City. He was replaced by Crystal Palace forward Jorgen Strand Larsen after 23 minutes of regulation time still remained, and he appeared to signal that he could not continue.

Haaland's exit in Porto

The concern comes after a heavy run for Norway. Haaland has played 337 minutes in four UEFA Nations League appearances this season and scored three goals in those games, so this is not a minor part of Norway's set-up. When he goes off looking uncomfortable, City will want a quick answer.

Haaland told standard.co.uk that "he was hurt" and "he wanted to be withdrawn". That is all that can be said with confidence right now, because the extent of the problem has not been confirmed.

City's schedule after the break

City do not need the guesswork. They return to league action against Liverpool on 11 October, then face Paris Saint Germain on 14 October, so the timing is awkward even if the issue turns out to be manageable.

Haaland has been central to Norway's attack as well, with three goals in four Nations League appearances this season, and Portugal's own late push still ended with a 2-1 win in Porto. The only clear takeaway from Porto is that City now have to wait on their striker's fitness before that run of fixtures begins.