Erling Haaland’s injury is a frustrating setback but it solves a tricky problem for Dream Team bosses

IT was an eventful Sunday for Erling Haaland (£7.8m) and the many Dream Team managers relying on him for points.

Manchester City’s No9 had his first-half penalty saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.4m) as Pep Guardiola’s side took on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Haaland turned from zero to hero when he scored a typical poacher’s effort soon after the restart to spark the visitors’ comeback victory on the south coast.

However, the majority of Dream Team bosses were then frustrated when the Norwegian striker was forced off just after the hour mark with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

He was later pictured leaving the stadium on crutches.

At this point in time, it seems highly unlikely Haaland will feature against Leicester on Wednesday night – a favourable fixture that may have yielded plentiful returns.

In fact, Haaland was among the most transferred-in players prior to Gameweek 29 and, for the first time in months, the most popular captain.

If he doesn’t play against the Foxes in midweek then many gaffers will see their best-laid plans scuppered by unpreventable circumstances.

Naturally, those who captained the prolific 24-year-old will be irritated but this twist of fate may turn a difficult decision into an easy one in relation to the upcoming Gameweeks.

Man City are one of just seven teams with two games to fulfil this Gameweek but the tables will turn after the next deadline.

Having been eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid, City do not have any European fixtures to bolster their schedule for the remainder of the campaign.

As a result, they have just two fixtures to fulfil across the next two Gameweeks at a time when Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea will play four times, due to the two-legged European quarter-finals.

Newcastle and Crystal Palace will also play three times in the same time frame.

That’s seven teams with more fixtures than City across the next fortnight or so.

Had Haaland avoided injury and added to his goal tally against Leicester, gaffers will have faced the difficult choice of sticking by the game’s second-best performer or replacing him with one of the many viable options on the right side of the fixture deficit.

That tricky conundrum is seemingly a straightforward decision now Haaland is a major availability doubt for Gameweek 30.

The likes of Son Heung-min (£4.6m), Ollie Watkins (£5.2m) and Bruno Fernandes (£7m) are likely to be popular recruits this week.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk