By Adegboyega Adeleye
Norway manager Stale Solbakken has raised concerns over Erling Haaland’s workload, saying the Manchester City striker is among players carrying the heaviest burden in his team and has been showing signs of fatigue after a relentless run of matches for club and country.
Haaland was substituted after 67 minutes as Norway lost 2-1 away to Portugal in the Nations League on Sunday, with Solbakken describing the 26-year-old as “thoroughly spent.”
“He was simply thoroughly spent,” Solbakken said.
“Some of my players have only had six or seven days of holiday. And you do not live off your physical condition in a normal job. Then it is straight into the start of the season, followed by a mini-tournament, so it is an extreme strain.”
The Norway boss said Haaland is among the players facing the heaviest workload because Manchester City compete in every competition and he remains the club’s key player.
“He’s in the group that carries the heaviest workload — precisely because his team (Manchester City) plays in every tournament and he’s the main man,” Solbakken added.
Norway midfielder Patrick Berg also said Haaland’s fatigue was understandable after the striker played in all three of Norway’s previous matches.
“He has played all three (Norway) games before this one, so it’s not that shocking his strength finally ran out,” Berg said.
Haaland’s demanding schedule has intensified in recent months, with Norway’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals cutting short his off-season.
He has since featured in every Premier League match for Manchester City this season, scoring five goals.
The striker previously highlighted the packed schedule after scoring twice in Norway’s 3-2 Nations League win over Denmark last month, posting on social media: “So tired. New match in 70 hours.”
Meanwhile, Norway’s players’ union, NISO, has also expressed concern over the increasing workload on the country’s top players.
“Over time, we have seen a worrying trend where the burden on top players has become far too high,” NISO chief Kristoffer Vatshaug said in a statement.
“It has already had consequences for several players. This is serious.
“We want clearer guidelines for workload and recovery. It is about the time between matches, consecutive rest periods, travel strain and how much time players get to recover after a long season.”
Vatshaug said responsibility for protecting players should not rest solely on the players themselves.
“We cannot have a system where protecting players depends on them saying stop themselves. Footballers want to play football. They want to turn out for their club, national team and teammates.”
Haaland now has six days to recover before Manchester City return to Premier League action against Liverpool on Sunday.
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