Erling Haaland, the Norwegian striker that the FAI marketed recent ticket sales off, has been ruled out of Thursday’s friendly international at the Aviva stadium.

45,000 tickets are already sold for the match, with the draw for this end-of-year international window largely being the presence of the Manchester City megastar in Dublin this week.

Norway manager Ståle Solbakken had already cast doubt of Haaland’s fitness, and the 22-year-old is now being rested ahead of a home friendly against Finland next Sunday.

Solbakken has added Mads Hedenstad Christiansen and Sivert Heggheim Mannsverk to the squad.