Manchester City’s primary striker Erling Haaland returned to training as the defending champions got a major boost in their Premier League title race.
Haaland last played for City on December 7 against Aston Villa in PL where he sustained a foot injury that kept him out for the last five matches in the league.
The Norwegian also missed out on his side’s maiden FIFA Club World Cup win in Saudi Arabia. However, he could be back on the pitch sooner than expected as the 23-year-old has recovered quickly.
Haaland returned to training earlier this month but he was then forced back to be sidelined by the club’s medical staff which led to the birth of speculations that the Norwegian may have suffered another setback in the training.
City’s boss, Pep Guardiola, was asked about if Haaland picked up a new injury, to which he replied it is just a minor problem.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Guardiola said. “He’s fine, but a little problem, disturbing his feet. The doctors decide to stop for one week and restart maybe in Abu Dhabi.
"Hopefully at the end of this month he'll be ready," the Spaniard added. "It was a little bit more than we expected in the beginning.
"It's the bone. It needs time. With every injury, you can do whatever you want but it's a question of time. He’ll be ready to come back at the end of this month.”
Haaland was in top form before sustaining the injury, he scored 19 goals and provided five assists across formats.
As he has just returned from an injury, it is unlikely that Haaland will appear in Man City’s FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur. However, he could be included to feature in the Premier League match against Burnley at the end of the month.