Marco Rose: Erling Haaland still struggling with ankle issue and taking a painkiller ahead of games

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is still suffering from ankle issues, with the Norwegian international said to be refusing to take an MRI and instead playing through the pain.

In a press conference this week ahead of Borussia Dortmund’s game against VFL Wolfsburg, Marco Rose discussed Erling Haaland and the current state of the Norwegian international’s ankle injury. The BVB head coach did not give a welcome prognosis, stating that he had seen photos of the ankle when the injury initially occurred during the international break:

"“Erling is not pain free yet after his injury during the international break. I received a photo a few weeks ago where his foot was pointing 90 degrees away from his leg. You can be certain that his ankle suffered some damage. As a club, we have to ask ourselves how to deal with that: should we scan the ankle or not?”"

Erling Haaland, on his end, has refused to take an MRI so far to assess the level of damage that may have occurred at the time of injury. According to Rose, Haaland has been taking painkillers and training through the pain. Rose’s statements also shed light on what has perhaps made the Norwegian international not as effective up front over the last few weeks.

"“He has tried very, very professionally to deal with the swelling. But you can’t force a player to take an MRI if he doesn’t want to. It’s not optimal, but it’s getting better. After the Stuttgart game, the swelling went down, but he will have to deal with it for a while longer. Erling has been gritting his teeth and training through the pain. He is likely to take a painkiller ahead of the game and then he should be fine.”"

While one can agree that Haaland is always an important component of what anyone would consider the strongest lineup that Dortmund can field going into the final weeks of the season, it remains to be seen how effective he will be if he is not at 100%. So far, the Norwegian goal machine has struggled to find his form since returning from injury.

Unfortunately, due to Borussia Dortmund’s current injury situation, they are light up front as it is, with Donyell Malen suffering from a muscle strain, and Gio Reyna also ruled out for the rest of the season. It is likely that Dortmund’s lineup will once again be a makeshift one on Saturday as fitness issues continue to be the only consistent attribute the club has displayed this season.