'When a player...' Pep Guardiola reveals reason for assigning captaincy to Erling Haaland

Pep Guardiola has shared that he has appointed Erling Haaland as one of the team captains in light of Kyle Walker's departure. This decision places Haaland among a group of leaders, including Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Rodri, who are also entrusted with leading the team when needed. Erling Haaland demonstrated his leadership qualities quite well, providing an assist in the team's commanding 4-0 victory against Newcastle, marking a promising start to his new role.

Pep's comment on appointing Haaland as skipper 

“When Kyle left, Kevin became the first [in line] and I nominated Erling to be a captain, when a player will be 10 years here, sooner or later you take on that responsibility. It’s nice that it’s the first time in the Premier League that it happened,” Pep stated.

The scoring machine sustained a knee injury late in the victory over the Magpies, but Guardiola is confident that he will be ready for Wednesday’s match against Real Madrid.

Pep expects Haaland to be back at Bernabeu 

Pep Guardiola expressed optimism that Erling Haaland will be fit for Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday. He admitted to feeling anxious following the forward's second-half injury against Newcastle.

The 25-year-old seemed to jar his right knee before collapsing in evident distress. However, after receiving treatment, Haaland was able to walk off the pitch and later watched the remainder of the match from the substitutes bench.

“When he was down, everyone was scared, but he got up and was smiling like always; I didn’t speak with him or the doctors. The doctors didn’t come with bad news so hopefully he will be fine,” Pep added.

Also Read:- Watch: Omar Marmoush fires a hat-trick in 14 minutes, Manchester City lead 3-0 at half-time