Craig Bellamy dodges Man City question after Erling Haaland no-show

· Mirror

Manchester City have endured a difficult few days after being found guilty by a Premier League commission and a former star has opened up on Erling Haaland’s response

Ex-Manchester City star Craig Bellamy is sure that Erling Haaland will not be distracted by the club’s ongoing legal battle. City have been found guilty by the Premier League, although they maintain their innocence.

A punishment has not been forthcoming, although relegation, a points deduction and a huge fine have all been mentioned. Wales boss, Bellamy, who was at the Etihad between 2009 and 2011 remained tight-lipped when asked about the situation on Wednesday.

> He said: "I've played for so many clubs we'll be here all day [if we spoke about them]. This doesn't involve Norway tomorrow."

> "We can talk about it another time," he added. "But at this present moment, off the back of three losses, playing Norway tomorrow, it's the furthest thing on my mind."

Bellamy is set to come face-to-face with current City star Erling Haaland, with his Wales side set to take on Norway in the Nations League. But he does not believe that the forward will allow the ongoing scandal to affect his performances.

> "I don't think he'll be distracted," he said. "The guy's a machine. Have you seen his record at international level?

> "He just wants to score. That ain't stopping him. If you love football, you have to appreciate him. He's world-class. It's very rare you have a player who's this size and has this mobility.

> "You know when you see certain moments in sporting careers or certain sports. You remember the Jonah Lomu factor? We're coming through the Haaland factor at this present moment.

> "Now we will adapt. The game will adapt. It's how we're able to combat that's gonna be another challenge as well, but an exciting challenge."

Haaland has already been involved in some slight drama over recent days. He was originally scheduled to face the media before Norway’s game against Portugal, just 24 hours after the guilty verdict was made public.

But he was eventually replaced by Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup. Norway boss Stale Solbakken since clarified that the call was his own and was not influenced by a request from the Etihad Stadium.

> "I haven't spoken to anyone at Manchester City about the media since Erling was to move from Dortmund to City," he said. "That was the last time I spoke to City about the media.

> "It's a lie. It also undermines my integrity. I go to great lengths to be honest because this is the people's national team. I try to give my all and that of the team.

> “This was a decision I made [giving him a day off on Saturday] without informing Erling. I just said: 'You can let this go. If you want to go, then you go. But for me you are exempt'."

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