Erling Haaland told Maresca he was OK after limping off against Ipswich

Erling Haaland told Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca he was OK after limping at the end of City’s 3-2 win over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium on 17 October. Haaland scored twice, but Maresca said he did not know the nature of the problem, leaving the striker’s condition unclear as City face another match on 20 October.

USA TODAY reported that Haaland limped heavily and went straight down the tunnel after the final whistle. Reuters also described him heading for the tunnel instead of staying to applaud supporters. The update follows NewsJaws’ report on Haaland’s two goals and City’s record start against Ipswich.

Maresca’s update on Haaland

USA TODAY reported that Maresca had already raised the possibility of resting Haaland during his pre-match news conference. ‘At some point we probably need to give him rest, some days off,’ the manager said. City are scheduled to host AEK Athens in the Champions League on Tuesday, 20 October; Haaland’s availability for that match was not established in the post-match update.

Other Manchester City injury concerns

Haaland was among several City players causing concern at full time. Reuters reported that Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly went off injured, while Antoine Semenyo was limping badly after the final whistle. ‘Unfortunately, in 10 minutes, we had four, five players (hurt),’ Maresca said, according to Reuters. USA TODAY reported that Maresca was particularly concerned about Semenyo.

The win was City’s seventh straight at the start of the Premier League season, a first for the club, according to The National. Its match report said Phil Foden put City ahead before Daizen Maeda equalised; Haaland restored the lead before half-time and scored again in the 69th minute. City’s next fixture comes three days after a victory that left Maresca assessing several players’ fitness.