Maresca insists Haaland remains his first-choice striker despite Champions League fitness doubt

Enzo Maresca has made clear that Erling Haaland remains Manchester City’s first-choice striker despite the Norwegian’s fitness concerns ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League group-stage fixture against AEK Athens.

Haaland limped off during a recent match, and with backup options thinning — Omar Marmoush is on loan at Tottenham and Antoine Semenyo is sidelined for eight weeks — City’s attacking depth has come under sharp scrutiny. Yet Maresca was reluctant to entertain the idea of a long-term plan B at his Monday press conference.

“At the moment it’s Erling so why do we need to think of a different nine? If something happen or we need a different nine, we’ll see,” the manager said. Asked specifically about Phil Foden as a centre-forward option, Maresca acknowledged the possibility without committing: “For sure Phil can be one of the solutions — he played already in the past — but at the moment the No.9 is Erling.”

Maresca has previously floated Foden, Iliman Ndiaye, and Rayan Cherki as potential alternatives in the striker role, and used teenager Floyd Samba in that position during last month’s Carabao Cup tie against Norwich. None of those options, however, appeared to be front of mind for the City boss as he addressed reporters.

The concern for City fans is structural as much as it is immediate. Haaland’s goal output has been so central to the team’s attacking identity that any prolonged absence would represent a significant tactical challenge — one Maresca appears unwilling to publicly plan for until it becomes unavoidable.

Semenyo’s eight-week injury, confirmed in the build-up to the Athens game, compounds the problem. City had feared the worst when the forward went down, and while the timeline is shorter than initially feared, it still removes one of the more natural cover options for the remainder of the autumn fixture schedule.