Fresh concerns have been raised over Erling Haaland’s fitness after his dad removed him from his Fantasy Premier League team before Manchester City’s win over Luton on Sunday.
Haaland sat out City’s 2-1 victory at Kenilworth Road due to a ‘bone stress injury’ in his foot.
Pep Guardiola confirmed after the game that the Norwegian striker has not fractured his foot, but refused to give too much away when asked when the 23-year-old could return.
However, it has now been revealed by an FPL expert on TikTok that Haaland’s dad, Alf-Inge, took his son out of his Fantasy side prior to Sunday’s clash and replaced him with his City team-mate Julian Alvarez.
Haaland Sr is part of a family league, and Erling’s brother and girlfriend also got rid of him before a ball was kicked at Luton, indicating that they were almost certain he would not play.
Alf-Ine Haaland (right) sold his son Erling (left) on Fantasy Premier League before Man City’s win over Luton
He replaced his son with his Manchester City team-mate Julian Alvarez
Pep Guardiola is now facing an anxious wait to find out how long he will be without his star striker
Selling Haaland is a bold move given that he is the most expensive player in the online game at £14m.
But it could suggest that Haaland may be set for a spell on the sidelines, with City facing an anxious wait to get their star striker back on the pitch.
If he was only ruled out of the Luton game, his family may have been wise to simply drop him to the bench before bringing him back in for City’s next league match against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Yet Guardiola has admitted that Haaland is a major doubt for the Palace game, and City are then due to travel to the Club World Cup, meaning they won’t have a domestic fixture for a fortnight.
Therefore, if Haaland does miss the Palace game, FPL players will not be able to get any more points from him until City’s game at Everton on December 27 at the earliest.
Haaland is currently owned by over 80% of FPL users, and his Premier League record of 50 goals in 50 games is a remarkable one.
But he could now be facing an injury lay-off, which could tempt some to follow Alf-Inge’s lead and get rid of Haaland before the busy Christmas period.
