Erling Haaland makes brutally honest admission about Arsenal clash as true feelings revealed

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has made his feelings clear on the debate over club and international football, and which should take priority.

Haaland, 23, is currently away on international duty with Norway, who face the Czech Republic and Slovakia in friendlies this month.

City were given a huge scare on Tuesday when Haaland limped out of training while away with his national side. Check out the footage below.

While he is believed to have avoided serious injury, it was an unwelcome sight for City - with a crucial match against title rivals Arsenal to come next Sunday, their first match back after the international break.

Questions have been raised over whether Haaland should be playing in friendlies for his national side with City still in contention in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup this season.

The striker has now made his feelings clear on the club vs country row in an interview with Norwegian newspaper VG.

"It's nice to play for the country. But it's different to face Arsenal next weekend versus the Czech Republic at home. I won't lie. There is a big difference," said Haaland.

"But what do you do? There are as many matches as possible in the calendar. That seems to be the goal."

Haaland is on international duty with Norway (Image: Getty)

Haaland also defended his work-rate in matches this season, claiming he is working as hard as he can with a congested fixture list.

"I am an individual who can withstand more fights than others. Some tolerate less. The problem is not playing the games, but the quality," he added.

"The quality goes down. You can't expect me to sprint 70 games with over 1,000 meters of sprinting per game."

Asked specifically about Haaland's expected involvement in the two friendly games, City boss Pep Guardiola said earlier this week: "He is not my player anymore from now on, what they will decide will be fine.

"They know that they fought a lot and train a lot, a lot of adrenaline and concentration to arrive in this position. They know they are friendly games and they have to handle it wisely.

"Hopefully they can do it."

City are currently third in the Premier League, one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool.

Topics: Manchester City, Erling Haaland, Norway, Premier League, Arsenal, Football

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan