Haaland in City squad as Maresca considers rest for key players

Erling Haaland is in Manchester City’s squad for Ipswich, but manager Enzo Maresca says the striker and several team-mates may need time off during a busy run of fixtures.

Haaland has scored 10 goals in nine appearances in all competitions this season and played four times for Norway during the international break. He also scored twice against Paris Saint-Germain, becoming City’s all-time leading scorer in European competition. Maresca said the club would consider his workload alongside that of other regulars.

“At some point we probably need to give him rest, some days off,” Maresca said at his pre-match news conference. He added that the discussion was not limited to Haaland, naming Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernández, Marc Guéhi and Rúben Dias among those who have been playing for club and country.

Haaland is available for Saturday’s Premier League match, but Maresca did not say whether he would start or when he might be rested. The decision comes as City manage an intense schedule, rather than as a response to one fixture alone.

Maresca also praised Fernández, who joined from Chelsea and has settled quickly. City have won their opening six Premier League matches and sit three points clear at the top, according to the club’s preview. The manager said Fernández is sometimes portrayed differently from how he is in person, describing him as “polite” and “professional” and saying he has “a big heart.”

After Ipswich, City are due to face AEK Athens on Tuesday in their third match of this season’s Champions League league phase. The club says a top-eight finish would secure progression to the round of 16, giving Maresca another match to factor into decisions about workload. Haaland’s place in the squad is clear; how City manage his minutes across the coming games is not.