Haaland's focus on Wales match unchanged by Man City verdict says Ajer

Norway's Kristoffer Ajer says Erling Haaland is completely focused on facing Wales, showing no change in behaviour following Manchester City's financial verdict.

Erling Haaland has shown no change in his focus or behaviour for Norway despite the verdict on Manchester City's financial rule breaches. His international teammate Kristoffer Ajer stressed the striker's concentration is solely on Thursday's Nations League match against Wales in Cardiff.

Ajer, who has 59 caps for Norway, said the Manchester City star has been his usual self in camp. "He's been exactly the same the last few days as well which is not a surprise for me," the Brentford defender said. He added that Haaland is trying to wait for the outcome of City's situation but that the immediate priority is the game against Wales.

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has also worked to keep Haaland focused on international duty, shielding him from media duties before and after Sunday's 2-1 defeat by Portugal. Solbakken said conversations about the club situation are private. "What we speak about is between him and me," the coach stated.

Haaland trained normally at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday evening ahead of the match. He scored in the loss to Portugal and netted twice in a 3-2 win over Denmark during this international window, taking his Norway tally to 65 goals in 57 appearances. His club form remains formidable, with five goals in five appearances this season for a Manchester City side that sits first in the Premier League with 15 points from five wins. He scored the final goal in City's last match, a 5-3 victory over Sunderland.

Solbakken acknowledged Wales, managed by Craig Bellamy, are in a period of low confidence after missing the World Cup but warned they possess modern ideas. The match kicks off at 19:45 BST on Thursday. For Haaland, the immediate task is leading Norway's attack before returning to a club contesting at the top of the table. City's next fixture is away to Liverpool on 11 October. Fans can track the team's progress and view the full fixtures schedule on our site. The club's strong start, provides a positive backdrop as they await the outcome of their appeal against the Premier League's verdict.