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Haaland available for Athens as Semenyo ruled out eight weeks

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 14:27 · Archive

Antoine Semenyo will miss eight weeks with a knee injury sustained against Ipswich, while Erling Haaland is expected to be available for Manchester City's Champions League match against AEK Athens on Tuesday.

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Antoine Semenyo will be sidelined for approximately eight weeks with a knee injury, in a significant blow to the club's attacking depth. Semenyo sustained the injury during Saturday's 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich, where he came on as a late substitute. The winger has two goals and three assists in seven league games this season since joining from Bournemouth in January.

Maresca described the injury as a collateral ligament problem affecting the knee. He told a pre-match press conference that the club's initial concern was more serious, but scans provided some relief. 'In the first moment we expected an even worse injury,' Maresca said. 'After yesterday's scan we feel much better. It will be eight weeks, so when he is back, probably around December, we have a new player in terms of energy.' He added that the injury was 'not muscular'.

Semenyo's eight-week absence will see him miss four Champions League games and City's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton next week. His loss is particularly significant because Maresca had identified him as a potential alternative to Erling Haaland in the forward position, leaving the club with limited options for replacing the striker.

On Haaland, Maresca provided more optimistic news. The Norwegian striker limped off during the closing stages of Saturday's victory over Ipswich after sustaining what Independent Sport reports was a foot injury in a challenge with Jack Clarke. However, Maresca suggested he would likely be fit to face AEK Athens in Tuesday's Champions League encounter.

'He can be available, we'll see, we have a session now,' Maresca said at his press conference. 'We have some doubts after the game. He was quite good yesterday, better, but we'll see today.' Haaland has scored 12 goals in 12 Premier League appearances this season.

Several other City players were also concerns from the Ipswich match. Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes both limped off during the second half, while Nico O'Reilly was another injury concern. Maresca acknowledged the demanding schedule, with City facing seven games in 21 days in October, many of whose players also had international commitments earlier in the month.

Should Haaland be unavailable, Maresca indicated Phil Foden could operate as a striker, and Iliman Ndiaye could also be utilised. City are eager to recover from a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in their previous Champions League outing.

Haaland available for Athens as Semenyo ruled out eight weeks
Image: Mirror Sport

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How it is being reported

In this story: Erling Haaland · Antoine Semenyo · Enzo Maresca · Manchester City · AEK Athens · Ipswich Town · Phil Foden

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem