𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Manchester City will be without Erling Haaland for some of their bid to qualify for the Champions League and win the FA Cup after tests confirmed he has suffered an ankle injury.

City’s 30-goal top scorer was hurt in Sunday’s FA Cup win at Bournemouth, after he missed a penalty, and is set to miss Sunday’s Manchester derby.

An initial assessment revealed that Haaland faces a spell on the sidelines and while City are waiting to discover the full extent of the issue, they expect him to return in time for the end of the season and for the summer’s Club World Cup.

Haaland has been almost ever-present for City this season, starting 28 of their 29 league games and making 40 appearances in all competitions, a total topped only by Josko Gvardiol.

In his absence, the £59m January signing Omar Marmoush, who scored with his first touch at Bournemouth, may be charged with leading the line as City, currently in fifth, bid for a top-five finish.

Pep Guardiola’s team host Leicester on Wednesday before visiting Manchester United on Sunday while they wait to see if Haaland will be fit for the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest or the Premier League clash with Aston Villa, rivals for a Champions League spot.

Haaland has scored three times as many goals as any other City player this season – with Phil Foden, on 10, their second leading marksman – but his ankle problem could end his hopes of winning a third consecutive Premier League Golden Boot. He has 21 league goals, six behind Mohamed Salah.

Now he gives City another injury problem with Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who has been out since September, potentially missing the rest of their Premier League campaign and three of Guardiola’s four senior centre-backs, in John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji, all sidelined and set to miss the next few games.