“Haaland still not training” – Man City boss Pep Guardiola gives injury update, says Kevin De Bruyne is ‘closest’ to returning

Pep Guardiola provides updates on his star duos fitness as fans anticipate their return.

“Haaland still not training” – Man City boss Pep Guardiola gives injury update, says Kevin De Bruyne is ‘closest’ to returning

Pep Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. (Source: Manchester City FC)

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has provided an update on the fitness of the star duo of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, who have been missing from action. After terrorizing the Premier League with their lethal crosses and finishing, both players have suffered knocks and have seen time away from action.

Guardiola told the media that Erling Haaland is on a positive recovery trajectory but has yet to recover completely. On the other hand, Manchester City’s captain and star midfielder De Bruyne has been sidelined since mid-August due to a knee ligament injury. He had to go through surgery and a complete rehab process to return to the team.

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Furthermore, De Bruyne and Haaland have yet to train with the team, but they have been preparing personally to return to full fitness. Guardiola added that De Bruyne had fatigued during a recent training session, emphasizing the challenges faced by a player returning from a severe injury.

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Haaland feels better but he hasn’t made one training session with us. Hopefully, in January he can come back with us. De Bruyne last week he trained with us, today he had a little bit of fatigue because he's training hard.
Pep Guardiola said per Sam Lee

With the duo’s absence, Manchester City are now without them, Doku and Stones for the following fixtures. Haaland’s injury did not allow him to feature for the club in the Club World Cup finals, and as Guardiola has hinted, he might only feature if he is convinced of their complete recovery and fitness.

Joao Cancelo opens up on how Pep Guardiola showed his different perspective in football

Joao Cancelo, the Portuguese international and Manchester City defender, recently shared insights into his experience working with Pep Guardiola, expressing admiration for the impact the former Barcelona boss had on his perspective of football. Cancelo, signed by Guardiola, highlighted how the coach introduced tactical innovations during a challenging period for the team, notably employing inverted full backs.

Pep Guardiola and Joao Cancelo
Pep Guardiola and Joao Cancelo. (via Marca)

Despite initial reservations, Cancelo praised Guardiola’s teaching approach, describing how the coach’s guidance, both during training and in games, transformed his understanding of the sport. The defender acknowledged the consistency and winning mentality instilled by Guardiola, emphasizing how it elevated his competitiveness and passion for victory.

Joao Cancelo, previously successful under Guardiola, fell out of favor and had loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Despite this, he respects Guardiola. With a contract until 2027, a permanent move to Barcelona is speculated, where his insights from Guardiola could aid his on-field growth.

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