Marmoush has found Premier League starts hard to come by since his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025. Credit: PA Images
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has put the ball firmly in Omar Marmoush’s court regarding the striker’s future at the club.
Marmoush, 27, has found Premier League starts hard to come by since his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025, making just 22 starts and 15 appearances off the bench.
Despite netting 10 league goals, the Egyptian international has largely played second fiddle to Erling Haaland, a situation that does not look set to change under City’s new manager.
Marmoush reminded City fans of his quality with a brace in Sunday’s 3-1 friendly win over Atletico Madrid in Seoul.
But when asked after the match whether Marmoush would remain at the Etihad, Maresca compared the situation to that of goalkeeper James Trafford, who recently joined Leeds after struggling for regular football.
City's new boss Maresca said: “Players work every day, they want to play so when they don’t play they are not happy,
“Omar did not play a lot last year so his desire is probably to play more minutes. It doesn’t mean that he isn’t going to play more minutes here but it’s also his decision, and he needs to decide.”
City have been without several big names on their pre-season trip to Asia, with Haaland, Rodri, Rayan Cherki, and England stars Elliot Anderson, Marc Guehi, and Nico O’Reilly all missing out due to World Cup commitments.
Still, Maresca is pleased with his squad’s attitude and progress.
He said: “I’m very happy. Especially because the players, since we started, have been open-minded.
"They want to understand and want to learn why we do things. The most important thing is we are getting better. The path is a huge path to improve things.
"But I can see we are trying what we do in training, and we are getting better at that.”
Whether Marmoush stays to fight for his spot or seeks more regular football elsewhere remains to be seen, but Maresca made it clear the decision is in the player’s hands.
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