Pep Guardiola has ruled Erling Haaland out of Manchester City's trip to Newcastle United on Saturday after he suffered a setback in his recovery.
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The forward has been sidelined since early December after injuring his foot and is set to remain out until the end of January.
“No," Guardiola told the club's official website when asked if Haaland will play at Newcastle.
“He’s fine, but a little problem, disturbing his feet. The doctors decide to stop for one week and restart maybe in Abu Dhabi.
“Hopefully at the end of this month he will be ready. A little bit more than we expected at the beginning in his bone.
“The bone needs time. Every injury you can do what you want but it’s a question of time. He’ll be ready to come back at the end of this month.
Haaland will resume training in Abu Dhabi, says Guardiola
“Jack [Grealish] has been sick. Hopefully today he’s back.
“Erling is out and John [Stones] is out. I think that's everything."
But there was a positive update on Kevin De Bruyne, with Guardiola revealing the Belgian is ready to start at St James' Park after marking his return with an assist as a second-half substitute in City's 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup last weekend.
"Kevin De Bruyne is ready to start," Guardiola added. "He got some good minutes in training. He is getting better now, he will have a few days off after this game and can train in Abu Dhabi to be good for the next few months."
City sit third in the table, five points adrift of leaders Liverpool, but the champions do have a match in hand.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Man City
MCI
|
38 | +62 | 91 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
38 | +62 | 89 |
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |