The key facts

  • Antoine Semenyo was injured in the match against Ipswich (3:2) and is out for approximately eight weeks
  • The scan showed the injury is 'not as bad as expected' — Maresca
  • Haaland's participation is in doubt; Maresca is the first manager to win his first 7 Premier League games at a new club

Semenyo out for approximately eight weeks

Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo will miss up to eight weeks due to a leg injury, head coach Enzo Maresca said on Monday. The Ghanaian picked up the injury in the winning match against Ipswich (3:2), after which the leading City have won all seven Premier League matches this season. According to Maresca, the scan showed the injury is 'not as bad as we expected'. 'Everyone else is more or less fine. The only one who is out for approximately eight weeks is Antoine,' the coach said.

Haaland doubtful ahead of AEK match

Erling Haaland limped after the game against Ipswich. 'He may be available, we'll see — we have training now. There are doubts after Sunday's game. Yesterday he was quite good, better. We'll see today,' Maresca noted ahead of the Champions League match against AEK Athens at the Etihad on Tuesday. He added that Semenyo could have been used as a 'number nine', but 'as long as we have Erling, why think about another number nine', and if a different plan is needed, the team will find solutions.

Context: winning streak and the financial rules case

Maresca is the first manager to win his first seven Premier League matches in charge of a new club. The successful start comes against the backdrop of the club being found guilty on more than 100 counts of breaching Premier League financial rules — City deny everything, and Maresca has repeatedly stated that he 'fully trusts the club'. In the previous Champions League round, the team lost to the reigning trophy holder PSG 2:4. Maresca rejected the idea of protecting players from injury risk: 'It's a huge match for us. We lost the last one, we need to win, and we will go out with the best players available at the moment.'