Antoine Semenyo says the most appealing part of Manchester City's setup under Enzo Maresca is straightforward. He wants wide men high, wide and free, with regular one-v-one situations. Semenyo has already had individual meetings with Maresca about how he wants to set up and use his wide players, and the winger's reaction was blunt enough: it is "music to my ears".

Maresca's instructions for wide men

Semenyo's description is as clear as it gets. "Enzo is just: out wide and when you get the ball, just create opportunities," he said. He also said Maresca's wide men have been high and quite free in previous Chelsea teams, which was one of the things that excited him when the appointment went through.

That is a pretty clean fit for a winger who wants to attack defenders directly. Semenyo said the chance to have one-v-one situations most of the game is exactly what he was looking for, and he added that Maresca's ideas are similar to Pep Guardiola's.

The early City move

The wider context is simple enough. Semenyo joined Manchester City from Bournemouth for £65m in the January transfer window, and he has already made 4 appearances in 2026 across all competitions, logging 334 minutes. His average rating in that period is 6.25, while he is still without a goal in the 2026 sample.

That does not make this sound like a finished breakout story yet. It does show a player who has been used quickly and regularly, and whose comments suggest he already understands the role he has been asked to play. City finished 2nd in the 2025 Premier League table with 78 points, so the expectation around any newcomer is not exactly modest.

Semenyo's point, though, is more about clarity than hype. He knows what Maresca wants from his wide players, and he seems to think the job description suits him.

The next step in the role

Semenyo also pointed to the recent Inter game as an example of Maresca's ideas showing up on the pitch. For now, the story is less about a headline return and more about whether the structure keeps giving him the same kind of spaces he says he wants. If it does, the fit looks natural. The next test is whether those one-v-one moments turn into numbers as the season moves on.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →