Ait-Nouri faces January exit after Maresca freezes him out of City's Premier League plans

Rayan Ait-Nouri has not played a single Premier League minute for Manchester City this season, and a January departure from the Etihad is growing more likely after Enzo Maresca has consistently overlooked the Algeria international in league football. The 25-year-old’s only start came in a Carabao Cup tie against Championship side Norwich City, with brief Champions League cameos against Porto and AEK Athens his sole other appearances.

Maresca’s assessment of Ait-Nouri appears to be at the root of the problem. The City head coach views the former Wolves man primarily as a winger rather than a full-back, a position that leaves him behind a crowded group of wide options including Jeremy Doku, Iliman Ndiaye, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, and Rayan Cherki. At left-back, Nico O’Reilly and Josko Gvardiol are the established choices, leaving Ait-Nouri with no clear route into the side.

The situation is a sharp contrast to last season, when Ait-Nouri made 31 appearances in all competitions under Pep Guardiola. City paid £36 million to sign him from Wolves just over a year ago, valuing his Premier League experience and versatility. Guardiola spoke warmly of the player at the time, saying: “He knows the Premier League, can play outside and inside, can play in different positions. He came not just for a certain period, for a long time.”

A loan move to Manchester United was discussed on deadline day in the summer window, but the deal collapsed after City insisted on including a purchase option that United were unwilling to accept. With Luke Shaw’s fitness remaining an ongoing concern at Old Trafford, Michael Carrick’s side could yet revisit their interest in January. Ait-Nouri is also expected to attract attention from other clubs in England and across Europe.

The player is contracted at the Etihad until 2030, which gives City leverage in any negotiations, but his complete absence from Premier League squads this season makes it difficult to see a path back to regular football under Maresca. Even fringe figures such as Allan, Ryan McAidoo, and Jack Grealish — who departed on loan to Everton in the summer — have accumulated more Premier League minutes than Ait-Nouri this term.

Whether City choose to sell, loan, or persist with a player they invested heavily in just over a year ago will be one of the more intriguing subplots of the January window.