Manchester City’s Rodri discusses Erling Haaland injury setback ahead of Liverpool and Bayern Munich fixtures | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has shined a light on how well Erling Haaland maintains himself after a sensational start to life in England.

Since joining City from Borussia Dortmund last summer, Haaland has scored 42 times in 37 appearances across all competitions for the Premier League champions.

The Norway international scored five times in City’s recent Champions League Round of 16 return leg thrashing of RB Leipzig, before netting thrice in a 6-0 beating of Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium.

City are eight points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal as they bid for a third successive title whilst searching for a maiden Champions League title.

Haaland has spearheaded City’s attack this season and has received plaudits for his devastating attacking prowess in a team still adjusting to an out-and-out striker under Pep Guardiola.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Leeds-born marksman will recover in time when Manchester City take on Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on their return from the international break this weekend.

The 22-year-old picked up a groin injury on international duty last week, raising doubts over his availability for City’s upcoming set of games, beginning with a lunch-time kick off against Liverpool on Saturday.

Despite his recent injury setback however, Manchester City midfielder Rodri appreciates the work Erling Haaland does to maintain fitness and ensure he remains in perfect condition on and off the pitch.“(Erling) Haaland is made of different stuff, he is a rock, a Viking,” the Spaniard said in a radio interview with Spanish broadcaster El Larguero, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness.

This is not the first time Haaland has been lauded for his physical prowess this season, with managers of teams across the Premier League reported to have discussed how to cope with the City forward’s dominance in the box.

Rodri added: “(Erling) Haaland takes good care of himself, he’s with the masseur all day. He’s made of different stuff, he’s a rock, a Viking.

“Hopefully his injury is nothing, but let’s hope he leaves us alone. He’s scoring an impressive amount of goals and it’s his first year and he’s still adapting.

“He has room for improvement within the concepts that we manage at Manchester City, and even so it’s incredible the numbers he has.”

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will be desperate to keep Erling Haaland fit and firing for the business end of the season, with the Blues still in the running to claim three trophies in May.