Haaland reappears

Man City's homepage posted a short video of Haaland smiling and running into the training ground with his teammates, for the first time since his injury in the match against Burnley on March 18. The 23-year-old striker is likely to return to play in the match against the host Southampton, round 30 of the Premier League Saturday 8/4. He will also be fit for the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League against Bayern at the Etihad Stadium in the middle of next week.

Haaland scored a hat-trick as City beat Burnley 6-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals, but he soon left the field with a groin injury. The striker was called up to the Norwegian team to prepare to play the first two matches of Euro 2024 qualifying, but was returned to the club due to an injury that has not yet recovered.

Thought this was just a "trick" of Man City, Haaland continued to be absent when the home team beat Liverpool 4-1 in round 29 of the Premier League on April 1. It was only the second game Haaland did not play in the tournament, although the strength of Man City did not affect much.

Haaland has not suffered any serious injuries in his career, but has missed several consecutive six or seven matches at Dortmund. Even minor groin injuries usually take three weeks or more to recover, so City may not yet risk him starting at Southampton.

Haaland has scored 42 goals in 37 matches in all competitions this season, leading the race to score the Premier League, Champions League and European Golden Shoe. Man City is also entering a pivotal period, with the goal of a treble in the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League. To have a better chance of achieving their goals, they need Haaland to be fit in the next stage.

The last player to win three individual awards including Top Scorer of the National League, Champions League and Golden Shoe is Lionel Messi in the 2018-2019 season with 36 goals in La Liga and 12 goals in the Champions League. Except for Eusebio, Messi and Ronaldo, no other player has done the same.