ERLING HAALAND has been given a few days of rest before he returns to crisis-hit Manchester City.
And his international boss Stale Solbakken has given another headache by admitting the superstar forward is “thoroughly spent”.
, 26, was seen asking to come off midway through the second half during Norway’s defeat to on Sunday night.
However, it was believed to be fatigue rather than injury related as he appeared in a fourth game in the space of 10 days for his country.
With City not due back in training until Thursday, Haaland has been allowed a short holiday before he returns to the Etihad Campus.
The whole squad are expected to be addressed by the City hierarchy regarding the .
Solbakken confirmed Haaland was among the players who left the camp immediately after the game and will have chance to clear his head.
The boss said: “It’s not just him – there’s a whole bunch leaving now.
“They’ve been given a few days off by their clubs so they’ve booked a private plane – like you and I can’t afford.”
Haaland set alarm bells ringing as he asked to be subbed against Portugal – but his national team manager confirmed it was all planned. He said: “Erling was simply thoroughly spent.
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“Some of my players have only had six or seven days of holiday. And you do not live off your physical condition in a normal job.
“Then it is straight into the start of the season, followed by a mini-tournament, so it is an extreme strain.
“He’s in the group that carries the heaviest workload — precisely because his team plays in every tournament and he’s the main man,”
Haaland looked weary in the shock defeat to last week so he had a heart to heart with his boss ahead of the game in Porto.
Solbakken added: “He gave us 60 good minutes. And he played 90 minutes in two other games.
“He was tired against Wales so that’s why we had a heart-to-heart on Saturday and went through all the possibilities.”
One option discussed was starting with the forward on the bench but he talked the boss out of that idea.
He added: “Erling could perhaps have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal. That was a discussion.
“But he has very bad vibes and feelings about that. He has experienced being put on in the League Cup and it hasn’t been great.
“I’m very satisfied that he managed to dig out 60 good minutes.”
Some City players not involved in internationals this time – such as , Antoine Semenyo and – are due back in early this week.
However the full squad will back together on Thursday to start preparations for Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.
