Pep Guardiola does not expect Erling Haaland to be fit for Manchester City's Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday, and admitted the Norway striker is a doubt for next week's Club World Cup fixtures.
City's top scorer, who has 19 goals this season, missed last weekend's win at Luton and the midweek victory over Red Star Belgrade with a foot injury, and has been receiving treatment in Marbella.
Haaland reported back at City on Friday morning and Guardiola said he would be assessed by club doctors before any further decisions are made.
City are due to travel to Saudi Arabia after Saturday's match for the Club World Cup, with a semi-final against opponents yet to be determined on Tuesday. Either the final or the third-place play-off will follow on Friday.
"Haaland arrived today and the doctors will see him and we will see how he feels," Guardiola said.
"He had treatment away. Hopefully he can travel to Saudi and we will see if he is able to play in the first game or the second game, or when we come back. I don't think he will play [against Palace] but maybe he surprises me.
"It is not a fracture, just stress. Sometimes players recover quickly, some longer. Day by day, week by week, we see how he feels. The moment he doesn't have pain he will play."
City's come-from-behind win at Kenilworth Road last Sunday ended a run of four league games without a win, and any talk of a mini-crisis of form has disappeared in the last week, with a young side earning a 3-2 win in Serbia with the help of goals from debutant Micah Hamilton and 20-year-old Oscar Bobb.
Both players are already older than the more established Rico Lewis, part of last season's treble-winning squad, pointing to more encouraging work being done by the
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