Manchester City news: Pep Guardiola reveals how long Erling Haaland will be out of action for Man City

The latest Manchester City news is that Pep Guardiola faces a setback as Erling Haaland's foot injury is expected to sideline the prolific striker until the end of January. The Norwegian forward remains key to City’s title aspirations but continues to be out of action since the Aston Villa defeat on December 6.

Guardiola disclosed that the injury, affecting the bone, requires more time to heal than previously anticipated.

Despite initial hopes for Haaland's participation in the Club World Cup in December, the injury has persisted, keeping him off the field. As reported by BBC Sport, Guardiola said:

"It's the bone. It needs time. With every injury, you can do whatever you want but it's a question of time.
"

As the Etihad Stadium-based outfit registered a thrilling win over Newcastle on Saturday and now braces for upcoming challenges, a 13-day break, and subsequent fixtures, Haaland's absence looms large. He is set to miss crucial encounters; including the FA Cup clash against Tottenham on January 26 and the Premier League tie against Burnley on January 31.

"It's fine but the doctors decided to stop for one week and maybe restart in Abu Dhabi. Hopefully at the end of this month he'll be ready. It was a little bit more than we expected in the beginning,
"

- Guardiola added

The 52-year-old manager acknowledged the impact of Haaland, emphasizing the team's need for the goal machine to recover. Regardless of City's unbeaten run in the eight games Haaland has missed, Guardiola expressed,

"We need him. Hopefully he can come back and play the last four or five months without a problem."

Manchester City are just two points behind league leaders Liverpool with 43 points in 20 games as we enter the crucial second half of the 2023-24 Premier League season.