'Thoroughly spent': Norway boss wary of Haaland fitness after heavy workload

[p]The 26-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a] forward was substituted after 67 minutes as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a] ‌lost 2-1 away to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] in Nations League Group A4 on Sunday.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Haaland[/a] was among several ‌high-profile players who left the stadium straight after the match on ‌a private jet to make the most of a brief holiday before returning ‌to club duties.[/p][p]"He was simply thoroughly spent," Norway manager Stale Solbakken ‌said of Haaland's condition.[/p][p][b]"Some of my players have only had six or seven days of holiday. And you do not live off your physical condition in a normal ‌job. Then it is straight into the start ⁠of the season, followed by a ‌mini-tournament, so it is an extreme strain."[/b][/p][p][b]"He’s in the group that carries the ​heaviest workload - precisely because his team (Manchester City) plays in every tournament and he’s the main man," Solbakken added.[/b][/p][image alt="Erling Haaland's most recent ratings" id="53fe41a2-dd65-4f09-ab78-c89f1b665621" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="adf1bc57-6efe-4e9b-ad98-222a1aabba23" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Norway midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/berg-patrick/K4OUBDgo/"]Patrick Berg[/a] echoed ​his manager's assessment, noting the physical toll on Haaland.[/p][p][b]"He has played all three (Norway) games before this one, so it's not that shocking his ⁠strength finally ran out," Berg ​said.[/b][/p][p]Haaland has endured a gruelling schedule in recent months. Norway's run to the World Cup quarter-finals significantly cut short his off-season, and he has since featured in every Premier League match for City, scoring five goals.[/p][p]Haaland highlighted the ‌relentless schedule on social media after a two-goal performance in the 3-2 Nations League win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denmark/0KUdxQVi/"]Denmark[/a] last month, posting: "So tired. New match in 70 hours."[/p][h2]Union concerned[/h2][p]Norwegian players' union NISO expressed concern over the escalating match schedule for the country's leading athletes.[/p][p][b]"Over time, we have seen a worrying trend where the burden on top players has become far too high," NISO chief Kristoffer Vatshaug said in a press release on Monday. "It has already had consequences for several players. This is serious.[/b][/p][p][b]"We want ‌clearer guidelines for workload and recovery. It is about the time between ​matches, consecutive rest periods, travel strain and how much time players ‌get to recover after a long season."[/b][/p][p]Vatshaug said the responsibility does not rest with individual players.[/p][p][b]"We cannot have a system where protecting players depends on them saying stop themselves. Footballers want to play football. They want to turn out for their club, national team and ⁠teammates."[/b][/p][p]Haaland has six days to ⁠recover before City resume their ‌Premier League campaign at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] on Sunday.[/p][infobox id="5a8fbd57-e97c-4bdc-9f6b-fb0fb254e893" /]