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Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has revealed Erling Haaland will require a last-minute fitness assessment ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with AEK Athens, while Antoine Semenyo has been ruled out as the winger faces an extended stint on the injury list.
As many as five City players came off Saturday's dramatic 3–2 victory over Ipswich Town with fitness worries. Mateo Kovačić, Nico O'Reilly and Matheus Nunes are all believed to have escaped serious issues, though concerns surrounding Haaland and Semenyo remain.
Maresca confirmed a foot problem has left him anxiously waiting on Haaland's availability.
"He could be available," Maresca said with cautious optimism. "We'll have to wait and see. There are some doubts. He looked fairly good yesterday."
The mood shifted when the subject turned to Semenyo. The winger came on with just 13 minutes remaining in Saturday's match but still picked up an injury that is set to keep him out for approximately eight weeks.
"Initially, we feared a more serious injury, but after yesterday's scan, we're feeling more relieved," Maresca acknowledged. "It will be eight weeks, so when he returns in December, it will feel like a new signing. Losing Antoine, or any player, is never ideal.
"Regarding Erling, we mentioned we could use Antoine as a 9, but we have other players to consider. We'll see — right now it's Erling, so there's no need to think about alternatives just yet."
Semenyo's Absence Limits Options to Replace Haaland
Identifying someone willing to serve as Haaland's backup is far more complicated than it sounds. City's squad lacks another natural striker, with no player eager to accept a role that means drastically reduced playing time behind one of the finest forwards in the world.
Julián Alvarez and Omar Marmoush have both swiftly moved on from stints as City's reserve striker in recent seasons, with the latter shipped off to Tottenham Hotspur last summer following confidence that Semenyo could cover centrally when required. The loss of the former Bournemouth attacker now complicates matters considerably.
Should Haaland be unavailable against AEK Athens or beyond — City face Aston Villa away on Saturday — Maresca will need to turn to an unconventional solution to lead the attack or rotate with his injury-hit Norwegian striker as needed.
The most prominent option available would be Phil Foden, who spent considerable time as a central forward during the 2021–22 campaign in the wake of Pep Guardiola's emotional admission that replacing the departing Sergio Agüero was near impossible.
"He can certainly be one of the solutions," Maresca said of Foden. "He has played in that position before."
Beyond Foden, Maresca may need to ask wingers Iliman Ndiaye or Jérémy Doku to operate through the middle, or he could look to deploy attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki as a false nine — a role he did fill on occasion at Lyon. One of those players will, however, also be needed to cover Semenyo's spot on the left for the foreseeable future.
Maresca did field 17-year-old Floyd Samba as his lead striker in the Carabao Cup win over Norwich City in September, but despite the natural midfielder scoring twice, the manager is likely to lean toward more experienced options in this situation.