Erling Haaland injury update provided by Guardiola and Man City star 'may need surgery'

Pep Guardiola admitted Erling Haaland remains a doubt for Manchester City's weekend clash against Liverpool, while hinting John Stones may need surgery following the England international's latest injury blow.

The Norwegian international limped off at the end of City's 4-0 victory over Newcastle last weekend and wasn't involved in the Blues' mid-week defeat away to Real Madrid.

Haaland has scored 27 goals across all competitions for City this season and despite their shortcomings, the 24-year-old's performances have been a rare bright spark.

He was even rewarded with a whopping nine-and-a-half-year contract extension earlier in the campaign.

But doubts around his fitness have emerged following the injury picked up against Newcastle, with Guardiola unsure whether he'll feature in Sunday's clash against league leaders Liverpool.

Commenting on the striker's status, Guardiola said: "I don't know yet. Tomorrow will know it. Maybe [he will be fit], but I don't know. We train today, tomorrow he will test.

"It is better to have him on the pitch than not have him. We're in the position we're in right now. Everyone is responsible for good and bad things. With Erling we're stronger."

Because of how reliant City have been on Haaland this season, any absence is likely to hit the Premier League champions hard.

And the injury concerns just keep coming for Guardiola and co. as centre-back Stones looks set for an even longer period in the treatment room.

On Stones, Guardiola added: "He's injured, a difficult one. Next hours, days we'll know if he needs surgery or not. Yeah [a long period out], like Manuel Akanji."

When pressed on the specifics of the injury, he replied: “It’s here, in front, the quadriceps,” before asking for help from the press officer about which exact muscle it was.

Unfortunately for Guardiola, the press officer didn't know either, with the Catalan coach joking: “What an assistant I have, huh? Next year the doctor will sit here [next to me] for the amount of injuries that we have, we’ll have a doctor here to clarify exactly what they have.”

Elsewhere, Guardiola revealed his decision to not play Kevin De Bruyne in Madrid was a tactical one. When quizzed on the move, the City boss explained: "Decisions. My decision.

"Yeah, of course [he can still play in big games], he played against Madrid at home, of course he can play."

He added: "The relationship with Kevin De Bruyne is exceptional. I can't be thankful enough for what he's done for me, the team, everyone. It's just a decision."

De Bruyne is currently out of contract at the end of the season.