Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, has recently sought the expertise of John Haddad, fondly referred to as the 'Miracle Man', in a bid to recover from a foot injury. The goal is to get fit in time for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Haaland was compelled to sit out during City's Premier League victory over Luton Town last weekend due to his injury. He also didn't accompany the squad on their trip to Serbia for a midweek match against Red Star on matchday six of the Champions League group stage.
Instead of traveling with his team, Haaland went off to Spain where he worked closely with renowned biomechanics expert Haddad. The Norwegian media have christened Haddad as 'Miracle Man' due to his exceptional work in sports medicine. This isn't their first collaboration; Haaland and Haddad have been working together since 2020 when he was still playing for Borussia Dortmund.
Mario Pafundi from City's physio department also accompanied him on this trip. Given that injuries had caused Haaland to miss 33 games over two and a half years prior joining Manchester City, Pafundi typically travels with him even during international duty for Norway.
Erling Haaland has returned to his home but is expected to return for Club World Cup after being named in the squad list
After spending some time in Spain, Haaland returned back home along with other members of the Manchester City squad after their win in Belgrade. Although he won't be playing against Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium this Saturday afternoon, he is listed as part of the squad for the Club World Cup matches.
The FIFA competition being held in Saudi Arabia has already commenced but as UEFA Champions League winners, Manchester City gets an automatic bye through into semi-finals. Pep Guardiola’s side will be facing Asian champions Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan on Tuesday evening. The winner will then compete in Friday's final against either Copa Libertadores winner Fluminense or Egypt's Al Ahly.
Manchester City is on the hunt for their sixth trophy of 2023, having already bagged the Premier League title, FA Cup, Champions League, Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup titles this calendar year. With Haaland's recovery underway and a strong team backing him up, fans are eagerly waiting to see if they can add another feather to their cap with the FIFA Club World Cup.
