Dortmund's Erling Haaland Out a Month With Muscle Tear

Haaland has a muscle tear, chalked up to a compressed and busy schedule.

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland will be out for a month with a muscle tear, coach Lucien Favre said Wednesday.

Favre told broadcaster Sky that the Norwegian forward will not be able to play “until early January” and linked the injury to the busy schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Perhaps he has been playing too much,” Favre added.

Haaland has scored 10 goals in eight Bundesliga games this season and six goals in four matches in the Champions League.

The injury means Haaland will miss Dortmund’s last two Champions League group-stage games. He trained with Dortmund on Tuesday, a day before the German team hosted Lazio.

Many clubs have expressed concern about higher-than-normal injury rates, especially for muscle problems, after the pandemic meant more games were squeezed into a shorter amount of time.