Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca faces a selection headache ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with AEK Athens, with Erling Haaland an injury doubt and Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo sidelined for up to eight weeks.
Haaland sustained a foot injury during Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town, in which he scored twice to take his league tally to eight goals and reclaim his position at the top of the scoring charts.
City are assessing the Norwegian striker ahead of the European fixture at the Etihad Stadium as they seek to respond to last week’s 4-2 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
Maresca said Haaland could still feature, with his availability to be determined after Monday’s training session.
“He can be available,” the City manager said, adding that the striker was “quite good” on Sunday.
However, Haaland’s possible absence presents a significant challenge for City, particularly with Semenyo also unavailable and the club lacking a natural replacement for their leading goalscorer.
The Ghana international is expected to miss up to eight weeks after sustaining a left knee injury during the Ipswich victory.
Foden emerges as a possible alternative
With both forwards potentially unavailable, Maresca must consider alternative options to lead the attack against AEK Athens.
One possibility is Phil Foden, who ended his Premier League goal drought on Saturday by scoring his first league goal since December.
The England international has previously operated as a false nine, a role that could offer City flexibility if Haaland fails to recover in time.
“Phil can be one of the solutions,” Maresca said. “He played already in the past in that position, so could play again, but at the moment the number nine is Erling.”
The manager, however, stressed that Haaland remains his preferred choice whenever the Norwegian is fit enough to play.
City could also consider deploying Rayan Cherki in a false-nine role. The Frenchman has previously been identified as a suitable option for the position, having scored in a 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Brentford when used in that capacity.
Another alternative is Iliman Ndiaye, who has experience playing as a central striker. The Senegal international scored 14 goals for Sheffield United during their promotion-winning Championship campaign in 2022-23.
The absence of a specialist replacement has become more significant following Divin Mubama’s summer loan move to Southampton.
Semenyo injury compounds City’s concerns
Semenyo’s injury further reduces City’s attacking options at a crucial point in their European campaign.
The Ghanaian came on as a 77th-minute substitute against Ipswich but headed straight down the tunnel at full-time, raising initial concerns about the severity of the problem.
A subsequent scan provided some reassurance, although the forward is still expected to be out for approximately eight weeks.
“To lose Antoine or any player is not good,” Maresca said.
“In the first moment we expected an even worse injury, so we were more worried, but after Sunday’s scan we feel much better.”
The City manager said the priority was to ensure Semenyo recovered fully before returning to action, potentially around December.
“The most important thing for him is to recover and also when he is back, probably around December, we will have a new player in terms of energy,” he added.
Semenyo has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring twice and providing three assists.
His absence means Jeremy Doku is expected to retain his place on the left flank after starting against Ipswich.
For City, the immediate concern is whether Haaland can recover in time for Tuesday’s encounter. If he does not, Maresca will have to choose between adapting an existing attacking player to the central role and reshaping his forward line as the club seeks a return to winning ways in Europe.
