Man City will be without Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jeremy Doku for the final against Fluminense.
Manchester City will be without their star striker Erling Haaland for Friday’s Club World Cup final against Brazilian side Fluminense, after the Norwegian forward failed to recover from a persistent foot injury. Haaland travelled with the team to Saudi Arabia for the global tournament, despite missing the last three matches, but was not included in the 23-man squad named by Pep Guardiola for Tuesday’s semi-final victory over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds.
The injury-plagued forward, who has been struggling with a foot issue, also missed training on Monday. Guardiola confirmed that Haaland still couldn’t train and would not be available for the final clash. The same applies to Belgian winger Jeremy Doku, who is nursing a muscle injury, and captain Kevin De Bruyne, who has not featured since the opening match of the season due to hamstring surgery.
Guardiola gave an update on De Bruyne’s recovery, stating: “Kevin started training yesterday and will train with us again on Wednesday. He is improving, but it’s been four months since he last played.” However, despite the positive news about De Bruyne’s progress, none of the trio will be eligible to play in the final due to tournament rules, which state that only the 23 players chosen for the semi-final can participate in the final.
The absence of these key players is a significant blow for Manchester City as they prepare to face Fluminense for the prestigious Club World Cup trophy at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Haaland, Doku, and De Bruyne were all present on the bench for Tuesday’s win, but were replaced in the squad by youth players Max Alleyne, Mahamadou Susoho, and Micah Hamilton.
City fans will now have to wait and see if Haaland, Doku, or De Bruyne will be fit for the team’s next Premier League match against Everton on December 27. Haaland’s injury will have seen him miss five consecutive games by then, with City’s next few fixtures against Sheffield United also uncertain for the injured trio.
