Man City’s Semenyo out for up to eight weeks due to knee injury
Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo will miss up to two months after sustaining a knee injury over the weekend, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed. The 26‑year‑old, who has contributed two goals and three assists in this season’s Premier League, is expected to begin a lengthy recovery process.
Semenyo, a Ghana international, left the pitch limping after City’s 3‑2 victory over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium. He had entered the game as a substitute in the 77th minute. The injury was described by Maresca as “collateral” rather than muscular, and he added that the player could be back in December and feel like a “new player.”
Maresca explained that the coaching staff tried to limit Semenyo’s minutes to keep him fresh, but sometimes “things happen we cannot control.” He also noted that the injury was not as severe as initially feared.
There are also lingering questions about the fitness of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie against AEK Athens. Maresca said the club will assess Haaland during a training session, adding, “He can be available, we will see. We have some doubts after Saturday’s game, but he looked better yesterday, so we will see today.”
Haaland’s two‑goal performance against Ipswich kept City unbeaten in the league, extending their winning run to seven matches. The striker has scored in each of his last eight appearances for the club, bringing his season total to 12 goals.
When asked about alternatives to Haaland, Maresca said, “To replace Erling is always difficult, but we have different options. Phil Foden can be one of the solutions, not the only one, but at the moment the number nine is Erling.”
The manager hopes the upcoming match with AEK will help the team recover from a 4‑2 defeat to Paris Saint‑Germain, a loss that left City 17th in the league table with three points from two games. “The response after the PSG game was quite good,” Maresca said. “It’s a Champions League game, a different competition, but the ambition has to be the same – we want to win.”