Erling Haaland is expected to be in action for Manchester City when they take on Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford tomorrow afternoon
Enzo Maresca and Erling Haaland
Enzo Maresca and Erling Haaland (Image: (Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images))
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Manchester City might have spent over £400m during the recent transfer window - but Enzo Maresca has been warned his side could pay the price for not bringing in a centre-forward. City spent a Premier League record £458m over the course of the summer window, with incomings including midfield trio Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
But while the midfield has been lavishly restocked, the striking department relies heavily on the prolific Erling Haaland, who has already scored four times this season. And speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Manchester derby, former City skipper Richard Dunne claimed his old club should have strengthened the full-back areas and warned Maresca that he faces ripping up his game plan if Haaland is unavailable.
“Man City haven’t had an out-and-out full-back for a couple of years now, and I think when you’re an outsider looking in, you’d say that’s an area you would have expected them to address in the transfer window,” he said, via Ladbrokes.
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“Look, it’s a difficult one, because you’ve got the likes of Josko Gvardiol and Nico O’Reilly on one side, and (Abdukodir) Khusanov, Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis on the other. So there’s plenty of depth in those positions… it’s just that they’re lacking proper full-backs, if you like.
“And then you might look at the situation up-front, where they’ve now only got Erling Haaland as a centre-forward and no back-up in that position.
“Look, it’s a tough one because if you’re a striker at City, you’re going to be one of the best strikers in the world. And if you’re one of the best strikers in the world, you’re not going to want to be sitting on the bench every week, which is what you’d be doing there… it’s not the ideal role for most players.
Nico O'Reilly and Josko Gvardiol celebrate after Manchester City's Champions League victory over Real Madrid last season
Nico O'Reilly and Josko Gvardiol celebrate after Manchester City's Champions League victory over Real Madrid last season(Image: (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images))
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“So it’s a tough position to go and get cover in for City, which means it’s maybe the one position where they lack the depth they would have liked.
“That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Phil Foden playing in there as a false nine if he needed to… then Rayan Cherki can play just off the front line too.
“Iliman Ndiaye was another smart move, as was Antoine Semenyo earlier this year, because they’re two players who could both cover up-front If Haaland wasn’t available.
“It’s just that their tactics would have to change if they were to drop Haaland or play without him for whatever reason, because none of those names are out-and-out strikers.”