Antoine Semenyo could miss eight weeks with knee injury, Maresca says

Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo could miss about eight weeks after injuring his knee late in Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League win over Ipswich Town. Manager Enzo Maresca gave the estimate on 19 October, ahead of City’s Champions League match against AEK Athens at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, 20 October.

City’s club report said scans carried out on Sunday showed the injury was less severe than the team had initially feared. Maresca said Semenyo’s recovery was the priority and suggested he could return around December. The eight-week period remains an estimate, with no fixed return date announced.

Semenyo’s role in City’s opening league matches

Maresca had considered Semenyo as an option to play centrally when Erling Haaland needed a break. Asked how City would cope without him, the manager said the team had other players it could use in attack and would decide on a solution if one was needed. ‘First of all, to lose Antoine or any player for us is not good,’ he said in the club’s account of his press conference.

City’s attacking options against AEK Athens

Haaland took a knock after scoring twice against Ipswich, but Maresca said the striker could be available against AEK. City still had a training session before the match, and the manager said he would assess the remaining doubts afterward. He described replacing Haaland as difficult, while saying the team had different options if it had to do so.

City host AEK Athens at 20:00 UK time on Tuesday in their third Champions League league-phase match. Semenyo’s expected absence therefore begins as City move from their unbeaten opening run in the domestic league into another European fixture. Maresca said he hoped that when the winger returned, he would bring renewed energy to the team.