Rulli confirmed to start as Ait-Nouri faces uncertain role under Maresca at Man City

Geronimo Rulli will start in goal for Manchester City against Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, with Gianluigi Donnarumma among five players given time off by manager Enzo Maresca following the Aston Villa fixture. Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are also among those rested, opening up at least two defensive spots.

The absences place renewed attention on Rayan Ait-Nouri, whose role at the club has become increasingly difficult to define. After signing the former Wolves defender, Maresca initially identified him as a winger rather than a full-back. “When he was at Wolves, I know he was playing back five, so it was more wing-back than full-back,” Maresca said at the time. “In this moment, I see him more winger than full-back.”

However, Maresca appeared to reverse that assessment ahead of the Brighton cup tie, describing Ait-Nouri in full-back terms once more. “He’s basically a full-back in that position. We have Josko who is doing fantastic, we have Nico [O’Reilly] who when he is fit is doing fantastic. He’s the same position. It’s just competition between them.”

The 25-year-old Algerian has had limited opportunities this season. He was passed over for academy defender Kaden Braithwaite off the bench in City’s second league game, and a deadline-day loan move to Manchester United was briefly explored. He played the full 90 minutes against Norwich in the Carabao Cup but managed only 20 minutes as a substitute against AEK Athens in a heavily rotated side — despite injuries to wingers Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo that might otherwise have created openings.

With Gvardiol rested for the Brighton game, Ait-Nouri could feature, but Nico O’Reilly — last season’s standout young player in the Premier League — is likely to be prioritised if Maresca views both men as competing for the same left-back berth. O’Reilly has had a disrupted start to the campaign and needs minutes to regain his rhythm, which further complicates Ait-Nouri’s path to regular involvement.

Until Ait-Nouri can establish himself in a clearly defined role, meaningful minutes at City look set to remain elusive.