Erling Haaland injury: Progress & potential return date for Man City forward

Manchester City looked like the Manchester City of old on Sunday afternoon as they blitzed beyond Aston Villa in the opening 45 minutes of their Premier League encounter.

Arsenal's second consecutive slip-up handed Pep Guardiola's champions another opening, and they took full advantage this time around. Their 3-1 victory over Unai Emery's side saw them cut their deficit to the Gunners at the top to just three points.

Triumph at the Emirates on Wednesday and they'll return to the summit for the first time in months, albeit having played one game more than their opponents.

However, it wasn't all rosy for the Citizens at the weekend. Their superstar forward, Erling Haaland, was forced off at half-time which has thrust his status for Wednesday's mammoth encounter into doubt. While City have the talent to cope in his absence, Guardiola will want his primary goal-getter fit and firing for their biggest fixture of the season thus far.

When did Erling Haaland pick up his injury?

Haaland picked up a knock to his right thigh in Sunday's win over Aston Villa. The forward was taken off at half-time as a precaution with City leading 3-0.

What has Pep Guardiola said about Erling Haaland's injury?

Guardiola didn't seem too concerned about Haaland's injury when he spoke after the game: “We will assess him in the next few days to see how severe it is.

“At half-time, I spoke with the doctors to see and they said maybe at 3-0 we don’t need to take a risk and I agreed with the doctors.

“If the score was more tight maybe I wouldn’t do it. I think he’s not injured but tomorrow we will see. Hopefully, he can play there on Wednesday. If he’s not ready or it’s a risk he’s not going to play.”

Possible return date for Erling Haaland

Haaland will be starting at the Emirates, there's little doubt about that. The Premier League's leading goalscorer was pictured in training on Monday ahead of Wednesday's game, indicating that the knock he picked up at the weekend was far from severe.