Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has described Erling Haaland as fully available for selection, according to VG, even though the striker did not leave the bench during the club's 5-1 Champions League victory over AEK at home on Tuesday.
The clarification follows a week of uncertainty about the Norwegian forward's condition. Haaland limped off the pitch and went straight down the tunnel after City's 3-2 win over Ipswich last Saturday, a match in which he scored twice. Three days later he was named among the substitutes for the AEK fixture and remained there for the entire match as the light blues ran out comfortable winners.
Maresca's message, as reported by VG, was that Haaland is "100 percent ready" — a statement that sits somewhat awkwardly beside the manager's decision to leave his leading scorer unused in a Champions League game.
Why it matters
Haaland's fitness is one of the most closely watched questions in English football, and any hint of a problem with the striker draws immediate attention from supporters, opponents and fantasy managers alike. City's season is built heavily around his finishing, and the sight of him walking off early against Ipswich, followed by a full match on the bench in Europe, was enough to spark speculation about a more serious issue.
Maresca's public insistence that the player is fine appears designed to calm that speculation before a demanding run of fixtures. It also raises a selection question: if Haaland really is at full capacity, why was he not used at all in a Champions League match?
The answer may lie in management rather than medicine. City had already taken control of the AEK game, and a five-goal performance without their main striker suggests Maresca felt no need to risk him. Whether that was precaution or preference is something the manager has not spelled out in detail.
Norwegian media split on the decision
The story has generated considerable coverage in Norway, where Haaland's every move is treated as front-page news. VG led with Maresca's assurance that the striker is ready. Dagbladet, Nettavisen and TV 2 all focused on the fact that he started the AEK match among the substitutes, with TV 2 framing it plainly as Haaland beginning the game on the bench.
NRK went further, reporting that an expert was sharply critical of the message Maresca delivered about Haaland. The nature of that criticism was not detailed in the material available, but the fact that a pundit felt compelled to push back suggests the manager's explanation has not convinced everyone.
The gap between "fully fit" and "unused in a Champions League tie" is the space where most of this debate lives. Clubs routinely manage workloads, particularly for players who have just come off a match in which they were withdrawn with a physical problem. But City's supporters are accustomed to seeing Haaland start, and his absence from the pitch on Tuesday invited questions that a single sentence from the manager may not fully answer.
Villa Park next, with other doubts lingering
Attention now turns to Saturday's Premier League trip to Aston Villa in Birmingham. City go into the match with 21 points from a perfect record in the league so far. Villa sit twelfth on eight points after seven games, though they arrive off a 3-1 Champions League win over Viking on Wednesday.
Maresca also addressed the availability of three other squad members. Matheus Nunes, Nico O'Reilly and Mateo Kovacic remain uncertain for the Villa Park fixture, and the manager said doubt still surrounds them, with a decision to follow the day's training session.
That leaves City potentially juggling several selection issues at once, even as their results remain flawless domestically. The Ipswich match showed both sides of the team's current situation: Haaland's goals delivered the win, but his early exit created a question that has now followed the squad into Europe and will follow them to Birmingham.
For Haaland himself, the coming days will clarify matters more than any statement. If he starts at Villa Park, Maresca's assessment will look straightforward and the bench role against AEK will be read as routine management. If he does not, the scrutiny will intensify.
City's manager has given his answer. Saturday's team sheet will be the next piece of evidence.
