Erling Haaland has shown no sign of distraction following Manchester City's guilty verdict over financial rule breaches, according to his Norway teammates and camp staff ahead of Thursday's Nations League clash with Wales in Cardiff.

Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer was among those to offer a candid assessment of the striker's demeanour during the international window, insisting the 26-year-old had been "no different" since the Premier League handed down its verdict confirming City had broken financial rules across nine seasons.

Ajer: 'He hasn't changed a bit'

Ajer, who has earned 59 caps for Norway, described Haaland as a positive and grounding presence within the squad, regardless of the headlines swirling around his club.

"The biggest compliment I always give is that he hasn't changed a bit from the moment I met him — even though he's the biggest star on the planet right now. He's been exactly the same the last few days as well, which is not a surprise for me," Ajer said.

Haaland was kept away from press duties after Norway's 2-1 Nations League defeat by Portugal in Oslo last Sunday, when reports of Manchester City's verdict first broke. He was again shielded from media upon the squad's arrival in Wales, with manager Stale Solbakken deflecting questions about the forward's state of mind.

Solbakken was brief on the matter, noting only that Haaland was "very good" and "scoring goals," while acknowledging the striker did miss a chance against Portugal that he would ordinarily have converted. When pushed on whether he needed to speak privately with Haaland, the manager replied: "What we speak about is between him and me."

A striker in form — and in focus

Haaland has been prolific for Norway throughout this campaign, scoring in the defeat by Portugal and netting twice in a 3-2 win over Denmark to bring his international tally to 65 goals in 57 appearances. He trained as normal at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday evening and is expected to feature against Wales on Thursday night (19:45 BST).

Haaland signed for Manchester City in 2022, four years after the final season covered by the Premier League's findings. Though he played no part in the period under scrutiny, he remains the club's most prominent figure as they contest the verdict and deny any wrongdoing.

Arsenal midfielder and Norway captain Martin Odegaard also trained in Cardiff, returning to the squad after sustaining a challenge from former Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva that drew widespread criticism last Friday.

Solbakken eyes tough contest

Norway's head coach offered praise for Wales manager Craig Bellamy, whose side have gone six matches without a win but whom Solbakken credited with having "modern ideas." He suggested Wales's struggles stem from a dip in confidence following their play-off defeat on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina, which cost them a place at this summer's World Cup.

Ajer echoed the respect for their opponents, pointing to shared characteristics between the two footballing nations.

"It's a similar population and the same work ethic from both countries. We followed that journey Wales were on in 2016 and it was nice that it was our turn. We're expecting a very, very tough game tomorrow with two equal sides playing the same kind of football," he said.