Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo may play Haaland’s position in the coming days, Man City’s manager Enzo Maresca has indicated.

This is intended to ease the team’s star striker, Erling Haaland and allow him to recover ahead of a “long season”.

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has indicated that Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo will play as a centre forward at some point in the 2026-2027 season to relieve pressure on star forward Erling Haaland.

“Depends on the game and game plan. Antoine can play nine… It depends on the game,” Maresca Enzo made the statement during a pre‑match interview ahead of Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League tie against FC Porto on Tuesday, September 8.

Man City take on Porto in Portugal on Tuesday, September 8, with serious questions raised about the team’s inability to sign a striker in the transfer window to back up Haaland, which led Maresca to pick out Semenyo as an option to lead the team’s attack in Haaland’s absence.

“At the moment, he’s played every minute apart from the Community Shield. We need to protect Erling because the season is very long and he’s going to have games where he needs to recover.”

In three games played this season, Semenyo has registered two assists.

Semenyo at Man City: achievements and performances

Ghanaian forward Antoine Semenyo’s move to Manchester City in January 2026 has emerged as one of the standout transfers of the season.

Semenyo joined City from AFC Bournemouth for a reported fee of about £64 million, signing a five-and-a-half-year contract that will keep him at the club until June 2031.

The Ghana international wears the number 42 shirt and has mainly been deployed on the wing since his arrival.

However, City manager Enzo Maresca has indicated that Semenyo could also be used as a centre forward when required, particularly to provide support for Erling Haaland.

Semenyo made an immediate impact during the second half of the 2025/26 season, scoring seven goals in his first 12 appearances for the club.

He also became the first City player since 2009 to score in each of his first two appearances.

By the end of the campaign, Semenyo had scored 11 goals in 30 appearances across all competitions.

His performances in the FA Cup were particularly notable, with the Ghanaian scoring in the final against Chelsea.

He also made his UEFA Champions League debut in March 2026 against Real Madrid, marking his first appearance in Europe's premier club competition.

Semenyo’s early goalscoring form saw him match Emmanuel Adebayor’s record for scoring in consecutive early appearances and quickly reach double figures for City.

The 2026/27 season has also started positively for the 26-year-old, who has featured in all three of City’s Premier League matches so far and provided two assists.

Maresca has stressed the importance of Semenyo’s versatility to his plans, particularly his ability to operate as a number nine depending on the tactical approach.