Sky Blue News: Haaland Withdraws, MCWFC v Chelsea, Adebayor Retires, and More...

The international break is on and the Manchester City men's team have headed out. Meanwhile, the women's team are prepping for a crucial match with league leaders Chelsea FC at the weekend. Sky Blue News has the latest headlines to help you keep up.

INTERNATIONAL BREAK: WHO’S PLAYING AND WHERE? - ManCity.com

In total, 20 City stars will be representing their respective nations before our Premier League campaign resumes on April 1 with a huge clash against Liverpool.

The focus for our European players is trained on the first qualifying matches ahead of the 2024 European Championships.

Away from Europe meanwhile, a number of Pep Guardiola’s South American and African contingent will be involved in friendlies and African Nations Cup qualifiers.

Man City striker Erling Haaland withdraws from Norway squad with groin injury - Dan Brown - Manchester Evening News

The 22-year-old bagged a hat-trick in the Blues’ 6-0 win over Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend, but Haaland has picked up an issue that has forced him out of the national team squad.

A statement from the Norwegian FA confirmed that team doctors had advised for Haaland to return to City and receive medical follow-up at the club.

Norway boss Stale Solbakken said: “Erling took it hard when he realised that he could not fight for the team. Fortunately, there is still plenty of self-confidence, talent and cohesion in this group to win points in the next matches. We are not going to hang on one millimetre, but continue our work to be maximally prepared for Saturday and Tuesday.”

Manchester City ‘make first offer for Luka Vuskovic’ - Ben Knapton - Sports Mole

Manchester City have reportedly tabled their opening offer for highly-rated teenage defender Luka Vuskovic.

The 16-year-old has established a burgeoning reputation as a goalscoring centre-back this term, shining for Hajduk Split continentally and domestically at youth and level.

Vuskovic has broken into the Hajduk first team over the past few weeks, playing the full 90 minutes in each of their last four top-flight games and helping the team keep two clean sheets.

The 2007-born centre-back scored his first senior goal for the club in a quarter-final cup triumph over NK Osijek earlier this month, and he has amassed an eye-catching eight goals in 17 games at Under-19 level from the heart of the backline.

The 6ft 4in teenager also has one goal to show from four matches for Croatia’s Under-17s, and clubs across Europe have unsurprisingly been alerted to his breakthrough.

City v Chelsea: WSL Match Preview - George Kelsey - ManCity.com

City welcome Chelsea to the Academy Stadium on Sunday 26 March, with kick-off scheduled for 12:40 (UK).

The match is available to watch live in the United Kingdom on BBC One, the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer, while you can also follow comprehensive coverage on the official Man City app.

Our Matchday Centre, offering detailed text updates, stats and analysis across the day, begins at 11:00, while a special Matchday Live show will also be broadcast ahead of kick-off.

Once the action gets under way, we will provide live audio commentary in the app, while those with push notifications turned on will also be alerted to all the key moments as they unfold.

Manchester City increasing in confidence over beating Liverpool and Real Madrid to blockbuster signing - Declan Harris - City Xtra

Manchester City have been linked with a deal for the England international for a number of weeks now, but a new report from ESPN’s Rob Dawson and Rodrigo Faez now states that the Etihad Stadium is one of the most likely destinations for Bellingham this summer.

ESPN report that there is a growing confidence from within Manchester City that they can build on the successful pursuit of Erling Haaland last summer by securing the signature of Bellingham in the coming weeks and months.

Granted, there are other parties that remain interested in acquiring Borussia Dortmund’s wonder kid, as Real Madrid sit with Manchester City at the top of the list of potential suitors, as Liverpool and Manchester United start to lag behind.

Emmanuel Adebayor retires from football at 39, with THAT Man City goal against Arsenal front and centre in a bizarre announcement video, seven years after leaving the Premier League for Turkey and Togo - Sam Brooks - MailOnline

Former Premier League striker Emmanuel Adebayor has announced his retirement from football at the age of 39.

Adebayor spent over a decade in England playing for Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Crystal Palace but has now called time on his career and made the announcement in a bizarre video on Instagram.

The short video included a clip of his infamous goal for City against former club Arsenal in 2009, arguably the most memorable of his career, as he followed it by running the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal fans.

Alongside the video, Adebayor posted the caption: ‘SEA, from the highs to the lows, my career as a professional athlete has been an incredible journey.

‘Thank you to my fans for being there every step of the way. I’m feeling so grateful for everything, and excited for what’s to come!’

And finally... KDB and his wife try a little acting. “We’re loving it.”

‘World-class acting’: Man City fans laugh at Kevin De Bruyne’s role in new McDonald’s advert - Toby Bryant - Manchester World

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne had fans complementing his ‘world-class’ acting as he starred in a new advertisement for McDonald’s. The clip is being used as a Belgian promotion but the midfielder was spotted filming the ad in Manchester last month.

In the video, De Bruyne appears alongside wife Michele Lacroix as the two queue up for a McDonald’s drive-through. The couple believe they are getting some preferential treatment for their celebrity status but end up being cut up by a member of the public as the fast food chain tried to make the point that it treats all customers the same.

De Bruyne shared the short video on Instagram on Monday morning, writing “we’re loving it” as the caption.

There you have it Cityzens. Have a marvelous Tuesday. Stay with Bitter and Blue for all the latest from Manchester City Football Club and come back here tomorrow for more from Sky Blue News.