Erling Haaland has been unaffected by the "sham contract" verdict against Manchester City, according to the Norway camp he's been with since the news broke. Haaland will play for the first time since the Premier League's confirmation of City's financial rule breaches when Norway take on Wales in Cardiff on Thursday (19:45 BST).
The 26-year-old was kept away from the media before and after Norway's Nations League defeat by Portugal on Sunday after reports of City's guilty verdict first emerged. As expected, Haaland was not put in front of the cameras as the World Cup quarter-finalists arrived in Wales amid headlines over his club and what next for the former champions, who continue to deny any wrongdoing.
Haaland signed for City in 2022, four years after the last of the nine seasons they were found to have broken financial rules, and is seen as their biggest star. He trained as normal at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday evening, with Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer saying Haaland had been "no different" since the news broke.
Ajer did offer more of an insight, saying Haaland remained fully focused halfway through this four-game Nations League window. "He's been exactly the way he's always the same with the national team," said Ajer. "He's truly focused on the upcoming games. I think he's trying to do the same as everyone else, wait and see what the outcome is - but right now the main focus is Wales tomorrow night. That's clearly been his way of doing it."
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing