Erling Haaland scare as Man City forward leaves Norway's camp just hours before clash

Erling Haaland has returned to Manchester City midway through the international break.

Haaland, 25, continued his incredible form so far this season with a hat-trick against Israel on Saturday as Norway closed in on qualifying for next summer's World Cup with a thumping 5-0 victory.

The Scandinavian side, who haven't reached a World Cup since 1998, now face a friendly clash against New Zealand on Tuesday to round off the October break.

However, Haaland won't be involved after the Norwegian FA confirmed on Sunday that the striker had left Stale Solbakken's group.

In a statement, they explained how Haaland, alongside three other players, had returned to their clubs in a way to manage their fitness.

'Sebastian Sebulonsen is in the Norwegian national team squad, he and Sverre Nypan are participating in today's training,' the statement read.

Erling Haaland has left Norway's camp and returned to club duty with Manchester City

Haaland continued his incredible form this season with a hat-trick against Israel on Saturday

'Players with particularly tight match schedules are returning home: Alexander Sorloth, Julian Ryerson, Erling Braut Haaland and Fredrik Bjorkan.

'Felix Horn Myhre is leaving the squad due to a sore ankle.'

Alongside Haaland, Sorloth (Atletico Madrid), Ryerson (Borussia Dortmund) and Bjorkan (Bodo/Glimt) all play for teams who are in the Champions League so the quartet have faced an intense domestic and European schedule so far this season.

An extra few days of rest will help Haaland prepare for his upcoming commitments at Man City, who return to action against Everton on Saturday, before they travel to Villarreal next Tuesday.

In total, they face seven games in all competitions over the next three weeks.

Meanwhile, Haaland's hat-trick against Israel saw him pass 50 international goals in just his 46th cap.

He is also the top scorer in World Cup qualifying, with an incredible 12 goals in just six matches.

And, speaking about his impact on Norway's team, Haaland's strike partner Sorloth was full of praise for him.

Haaland has returned to City ahead of time as he prepares for a hectic run of fixtures

'I stopped getting surprised many years ago because when Erling steps on the pitch, he always scores,' the former Crystal Palace star said. 'He's like a robot when it comes to scoring goals.

'You think you've seen everything — but he just gets better and better. There's nothing he can't do.

'His statistics are unbelievable. He's really important, and not just the goals he scores. He takes a lot of responsibility up front.

'They always have to put at least two defenders on him. That makes space for the rest of us. So he's hugely important for the team.'

Sorloth also opened up on the significance for Norway if they were to qualify for a first World Cup in 28 years.

'It (the 1998 World Cup) must have been an amazing experience, and that's what we are hoping for,' he added.

'It would mean a lot, of course, because we haven't been in the championship for a long, long time.

'So that's our only focus now. Estonia is next, and then, hopefully we can celebrate and go to Italy and be there with the trip to America in the bag.'