Manchester City winger, Antoine Semenyo, is expected to spend up to eight weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury, while the club remains optimistic that striker Erling Haaland could feature in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash against AEK Athens.
City manager Enzo Maresca confirmed Semenyo’s expected absence after the Ghanaian international suffered the injury during the club’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town at the weekend.
Semenyo came on as a substitute in the 76th minute but was forced to contend with a knee problem that prompted medical examinations.
However, the scan results provided some relief for the Premier League champions, with Maresca indicating that the injury was less serious than initially feared.
“After the scan we feel much better because it’s not as bad as we expected,” Maresca said about the Ghana winger.
“It could be eight weeks, so now the most important thing is for him to recover.”
The 26-year-old joined Manchester City from Bournemouth last January and has scored twice for the club this season, with both goals coming in last month’s encounter against Sunderland.
His absence will leave Maresca with several options to consider on the wings, including Iliman Ndiaye, Jérémy Doku, Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Allan.
Meanwhile, City are hopeful that Haaland will recover in time for their European fixture after the Norwegian striker appeared to be struggling with a knock following the victory over Ipswich.
The forward, who scored twice in the match, was seen limping after the final whistle, raising concerns over his availability for the Champions League encounter.
However, Maresca suggested that Haaland could still be involved, pending an assessment during the team’s training session.
“He can be available,” Maresca said. “We have a session now and we’ll see.”
City also had concerns over Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly, who sustained knocks during the Ipswich game.
Nevertheless, Maresca played down fears that the trio could miss the upcoming fixture, indicating that their conditions were not particularly worrying.
“They are, more or less, all okay,” he said.
With Semenyo facing a lengthy recovery period, City will be keen to avoid further injury setbacks as they prepare for their Champions League assignment.
Haaland’s potential return would provide a significant boost to the team, although his final availability will depend on his fitness assessment ahead of Tuesday’s match.
