Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed when marquee new signing Erling Haaland might make his debut for the club.
The striker, who turned 22 on Thursday, completed a £51m transfer to City from Borussia Dortmund back in June, but fans have had to wait patiently to get a glimpse of him in action.
While their main Premier League rivals have already played at least two games in pre-season, City only got their preparations underway on Wednesday night when they faced Mexican side Club America in Houston.
Haaland was an unused substitute in a 2-1 victory for Guardiola's charges, and inevitably there were questions about when supporters would get to see the towering Norwegian in action following the match.
Pressed on the matter, the manager revealed that the wait was almost over. Man City face Bayern Munich in their next pre-season match in Wisconsin on Saturday night, and that is where Guardiola hopes to unleash his new weapon.
“Next game, Erling will be ready," the Catalan said. "He’s had niggles and a few problems. We’ll see.
"He’s trained just two sessions and didn’t want to take risks. The season is so long.”
Indeed, Guardiola has reason to be cautious after the striker missed 16 games in all competitions for Dortmund last season.
Haaland will be facing a familiar foe in Bundesliga champions Bayern on Saturday night - a side he has scored against five times in seven matches.
Source : 90min