Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks after sustaining a knee injury during the weekend. Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed the diagnosis on Monday, noting that while the injury—identified as collateral—is not muscular, the 26-year-old will require a significant recovery period. Semenyo, who has contributed two goals and three assists in the Premier League this season, exited the pitch limping after coming on as a 77th-minute substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town. Now the most important thing is recovery. So we will see today,” Maresca added.
Reflecting on the setback, Maresca expressed frustration regarding the timing of the injury. “We tried to save him, we tried to keep him fresh, just give him some minutes, he didn’t play a lot, but sometimes things happen we cannot control,” the manager stated. He remains optimistic about the player’s return, adding that once Semenyo is back in December, it will be akin to having a new player available for the squad.
The club is also managing fitness concerns surrounding striker Erling Haaland, who suffered a knock to his foot and ankle during stoppage time against Ipswich. Despite the uncertainty, Maresca indicated that Haaland could be fit for the upcoming Champions League clash against AEK Athens. The Norwegian star has been in prolific form, scoring 12 goals across his last eight appearances for City. Should Haaland be unavailable, Maresca noted that Phil Foden is among the potential options to lead the line. Haaland’s double against Ipswich helped City remain perfect in the top flight with seven straight wins. “Phil [Foden] can be one of the solutions, not the only one … but now, at the moment the number nine is Erling.”.
City enters the European fixture looking to recover from their previous 4-2 defeat against Paris St Germain, a result that currently leaves them 17th in the Champions League table with three points from two matches. Better, he was quite good yesterday.
Maresca praised his team’s response following the loss to PSG and emphasized that the ambition remains consistent regardless of the competition.
As the squad prepared for a final training session on Monday, the manager maintained a hopeful outlook on his personnel availability for Tuesday’s match at the Etihad Stadium. It’s not muscle,” he told a news conference ahead of Tuesday’s AEK game.
