Manchester City reportedly suffered a double injury blow as Phil Foden and Erling Haaland were absent from training ahead of the Cityzens’ clash against Brighton on April 25 (via Independent).
This could serve as a huge issue for Pep Guardiola and Co. as they look to win their fourth Premier League title in a row. Currently, Manchester City are third in the league standings, a point behind leaders Arsenal, who have played a game more.
Foden played in his team’s latest 1-0 FA Cup semi-final win against Chelsea on Saturday (April 20). However, their Norwegian striker Haaland was absent from the squad as he looks to recover from a muscle injury.
Both players are incredibly crucial to the Cityzens, with Haaland having netted 31 goals in 39 appearances across competitions this season. Meanwhile, Foden has also enjoyed a stellar campaign, having scored 22 goals and assisted 10 in 47 matches across competitions.
Despite some worrying news about Haaland and Foden, John Stones participated in training as per the aforementioned report. The defender was substituted at the halfway mark for Ruben Dias against the Blues, creating doubt over whether the Englishman would feature against Brighton.
Going into this match, the Seagulls are sitting 10th in the table and will be looking to secure a European spot at the end of the season.
Pep Guardiola calls Manchester City star Phil Foden ‘world-class’
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, recently described Phil Foden as world-class. The former Barcelona coach’s comments came after the England international bagged a brace in City’s 3-1 win against Manchester United on March 3.
On the night, the Cityzens were trailing their local rivals 1-0 at the end of the first half. However, Foden turned things around, netting in the 56th and 80th minutes to put his side ahead, while Erling Haaland added a third in stoppage time.
Speaking after the match, Guardiola told Sky Sports:
“Winning games is when you become a world-class player. Everyone plays good but you have to win games, and he (Foden) wins games. What can I say? He loves football. He lives to play. There are people who like to play. He loves to play football.”
So far in his short career, the 23-year-old attacker has made 264 appearances across competitions for Manchester City, bagging 82 goals and 51 assists. He’s already won the Premier League title five times and the UEFA Champions League once, among other honors, at the Etihad Stadium.
