Haaland dropped! Man City striker finally given a rest against Copenhagen in Champions League

• Haaland benched vs Copenhagen
• Bagged brace inside 45 minutes in reverse fixture
• Julian Alvarez starts ahead of Norwegian

WHAT HAPPENED? Haaland has been given a rest and will start from the bench as City travel to Denmark to face Copenhagen in the Champions League. The Norwegian has enjoyed a rampant start to life at City and started in every game he's played so far, but finally drops to the bench.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Despite his electric start, concern over Haaland's fitness hasn't gone away. He was taken off after 45 minutes in last week's reverse fixture and Pep Guardiola revealed in August that he would be rotated when necessary, as a precaution. Julian Alvarez will start in his place.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND? While rest is important, Haaland will still be desperate to make his mark as soon as he possibly can, be it off the bench against Copenhagen or when he likely returns to the starting XI at the weekend.