Getty

Erling Haaland being wrapped in cotton wool! Pep Guardiola details meticulous '24-hour' care regime to keep goal machine in tip-top shape

Pep Guardiola has spoken about the lengths Manchester City staff have gone to keep their goal machine Erling Haaland on the field this season.

History of injuries at Dortmund
'24-hour' care at City
Only missed three PL games this term

WHAT HAPPENED? Speaking to the press on Friday, Guardiola revealed the extraordinary care the club go to keep their free-scoring striker on the field. Haaland was plagued by fitness issues during his time at Borussia Dortmund, but since joining City has only missed a handful of games and avoided serious injury. That's something his manager thinks is not purely down to chance.

🏆 TOP STORY: Mane hit with fine for Sane 'punch'

📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Ronaldo & Mou reunited - a disaster?

🚨 MUST READ: Ryan Reynolds is WRONG about National League promotion

WHAT THEY SAID: Guardiola explained: “I don’t know what he has done in Dortmund but we take care of him 24 hours– we have incredible doctors and physios. They are behind him every single detail.

“It’s difficult to understand why you’d spend a lot of money and then just leave them. But today, with this demanding schedule of games every three or four days you have to be behind the players, there’s an incredible entourage to take care of them – with nutrition, rest, sleep, food.

Article continues below

“For the training, how many minutes – there is data sometime they can’t train more than 10 or 15 minutes, otherwise there’s a risk.

“We know we have to keep him like a watch because he’s so big. Physios, massage, backs, shoulders, tendons, everything. He spends much more time working inside the training centre than on the pitch.”

Next Match

THE BIGGER PICTURE: City must be doing something right as Haaland missed 16 games with Dortmund last season compared to just three so far this season in the league. And while the player himself likes to put his physical form down to his dad's lasagne or his love of milk, it seems the round-the-clock sports science at City is working.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

(C)Getty Images haaland guardiola

(C)Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? City and Haaland welcome troubled Leicester City to the Etihad on Saturday. With the single-season Premier League scoring record in his sights, the Norwegian will be hoping for a big afternoon, though Guardiola and his medical staff will be keeping a very close eye on their talisman.