Brutal Fixture Pile-Up Puts Erling Haaland's Fitness in Serious Jeopardy

Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken dismissed Erling Haaland's forced substitution as simply a matter of exhaustion stemming from a "grueling schedule" that, in his view, "is just insane."

Haaland featured in all four of Norway's Nations League games this autumn but requested to be withdrawn midway through the second half of Sunday's encounter with Portugal. The sight of the Manchester City talisman trudging off to the sideline sparked widespread worry at the Etihad ahead of this weekend's Premier League visit to Liverpool. Rather than a serious injury, Haaland appears to be a casualty of the demands of the contemporary game.

"There are plenty of players who are completely drained," Solbakken said. "[Sander] Berge and [Martin] Ødegaard are running on empty. Erling was pushing through for a long time. I think he took a real toll and did a tremendous job as a target man. We were hoping for 60 minutes, and he gave us 65. There are plenty of positives to take from that."

Going into the match against Portugal in Porto, Haaland had already known he wouldn't be able to see out the full game. There had been talk of holding the prolific striker back for the second half, but that idea was quickly ruled out.

"He put in a solid 60 minutes today," Solbakken said. "He played two full 90-minute games against Denmark and Portugal. He was fatigued against Wales. That's why we had a frank conversation yesterday and went through all the different options.

"He could potentially have played the final 45 minutes against Portugal. That was something we discussed. But he has a really uncomfortable feeling about that sort of situation. He's had experiences where he came on in the League Cup and it didn't go well at all. I'm very happy that he dug deep and delivered a strong 60 minutes."

What Next for Erling Haaland?

With Norway's international commitments now behind them and Manchester City not back in action until that trip to Anfield on Sunday, Haaland has been given that most coveted luxury in modern football: rest.

The striker took a short flight from Portugal to Málaga in southern Spain following Sunday's game to enjoy some warm weather, according to Norwegian outlet Dagbladet. Enzo Maresca is not expecting his leading scorer to return until later in the week, at which point he will need to brace himself for yet another relentless run of fixtures.

"It's a grueling schedule," Solbakken lamented. "For those competing in the Champions League who've had very little downtime, it's far more punishing than for others. Especially for players who didn't get a summer break due to the World Cup and going deep into the tournament. We experienced that.

"Having so little time off and then jumping straight into high-intensity leagues—and then you add an international break on top of all that—it's not about making excuses. It's just insane. Especially for the smaller nations."

Strikers With the Most Minutes Played for Club and Country in 2026

Stats via Transfermarkt. Correct as of Oct. 5, 2026.

Haaland is a victim of his own brilliance. Field the youthful striker in your side and the likelihood of finding the net skyrockets. It's a temptation few managers can pass up, and it has pushed Haaland to this point of exhaustion.

"He plays virtually every game for his club," the striker's international boss said with frustration. "He belongs to the group carrying the heaviest burden, precisely because he features in every competition and is 'The Main Man.'"

While he has yet to miss a single minute for Manchester City in either the Premier League or Champions League, Maresca has acknowledged that Haaland will need to be rested at some stage this season. Whether he opts to leave out his most important player for a visit to Anfield — City's first fixture since their landmark guilty verdict — is an entirely different matter.