Pep Guardiola is keeping Salford in suspense over whether Manchester City's star striker Erling Haaland will face the League Two side in the FA Cup. The Norwegian powerhouse has clocked up more minutes on the pitch than any other player in the City squad this season.
Guardiola is contemplating shaking things up for Saturday’s third-round clash with their fourth-tier neighbours, but he remains undecided on whether Haaland – who has found the back of the net 21 times this season in 2,386 minutes of play – should be given a breather.
"You will see tomorrow," the City boss teased at a press conference. "But he feels good. He’s had some niggles but we’ve had seven days from West Ham to Salford and he’s recovered well. With the situation that we have, we need everyone ready."
"The year before Erling arrived from Dortmund he had problems but since he arrived, except one period, he has been so consistent in terms of injury and fitness."
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"The year of the treble was amazing. Last season he scored goals but struggled a bit. This season he has had incredible focus. When you are focused and your target is to be fit, always you are fit."
Goalkeeper Ederson is back in action after missing four games, but defenders John Stones and Ruben Dias are still sidelined. Forward Oscar Bobb has now returned to training after suffering a broken leg in the summer.
Guardiola said: "It’s good news for us. It’s not muscular, it was a bone, a fracture and it’s already fixed. He’s obviously not yet in the right condition but it’s good news that he’s back."
The upcoming match is set to be a historic moment for Salford, who have climbed from the non-League echelons to League Two prominence since being acquired by Manchester United's legendary 'Class of 92'.
With five seasons of steady progress behind them, the Ammies, now managed by Karl Robinson, find themselves in third place and eyeing promotion.
Their journey takes them to the Etihad on Saturday, where they hope to further elevate their status, and Guardiola has taken note of the ambition shown by the club's owners. He remarked: "They won a lot of titles, these generational players. They won a lot of money so they can buy clubs. It’s good."
"There’s Gary Neville, David Beckham, I don’t know all the players involved but they are smart people and when people from football run football clubs they always take smart decisions."
"They are in League Two and I’m pretty sure they want to rise like Stockport. The higher you are, the better your perspective."
There's also a personal stake in the game for Guardiola, who has resided in Salford for eight years. He said: "I’ve lived in Salford for the last eight years so I will play against my neighbourhood, my hometown where I am living!"
However, Guardiola refrained from discussing speculation about Manchester City's potential January signings, including Eintracht Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush and Lens' Abdukodir Khusanov.
He stated: "I know you’re going to ask me all month about the links in the media but I’m not going to talk. You can ask every single press conference but I am not going to answer."
