Erling Haaland BACK in Man City starting line-up to prove he's ready for FA Cup Final

Erling Haaland has been instantly restored to Manchester City's starting XI for their match at after recovering from an ankle injury he sustained in the back in March.

The deadly striker, 24, was an unused substitute in last weekend's 1-0 win against . But Haaland is back in the team against the already relegated Saints as he prepares to step up his minutes ahead of the FA Cup final next weekend.

hinted that he could unleash Haaland on the south coast despite fears that the Norwegian's season could be cut short after initially sustaining the injury.

"He is ready, he is fit. [If he will] start, we will see tomorrow," teased the chief in his pre-match press conference.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Haaland had declared himself fully fit in a recent interview with , saying: “It was horrible to be injured, but what can you do?

“You have to recover as quickly as you can and to come back as fit as you can. Now I’m back with loads of energy. I’m feeling good and moving good and I’m ready.”

City face at Wembley next weekend in the FA Cup final, which would, in some ways, provide a sense of salvation in the wake of an uncharacteristically turbulent campaign for Guardiola and Co, who have been out of the title race for months.

Omar Marmoush has deputised in Haaland's absence but the Egypt international - a January signing from Eintracht Frankfurt - drops to the bench for the trip to Southampton.

The outgoing Kevin De Bruyne starts and wears the captain's armband for Manchester City, who start the weekend in third place. A victory would put them level on points with , who face the newly crowned champions, , on Sunday.

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our