Man City injury news: Erling Haaland among stars needing “rest” as Enzo Maresca offers update before Ipswich

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that he will consider giving star striker Erling Haaland a rest after a busy start to the season.

Haaland has been at his prolific best for the Citizens once again this term, scoring 10 goals in just nine appearances across all competitions.

Six of those goals have been scored in as many Premier League matches, helping Maresca’s men climb to the top of the table with a perfect record.

Haaland has also found the net four times in just two Champions League outings, including a record-breaking brace in City’s 4-2 home defeat to holders Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

In addition, Haaland scored three goals across four starts for Norway in the UEFA Nations League during the September/October international break.

For club and country, Haaland has played for 1,100 minutes in total across 13 matches since August, averaging 84.6 minutes per game, and Maresca has suggested that the striker is one of several City stars who needs to be given a much-needed break in the near future.

Haaland ‘needs rest’ as City prepare for busy fixture schedule

Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of City’s Premier League home clash against Ipswich on Saturday, Maresca said: “At some point we probably need to give [Haaland a] rest, some days off”.

“We are thinking about this not just with Erling because we have players, unfortunately or fortunately, they are playing all the games with us and all the games with the international teams.

“Elliot (Anderson), Enzo (Fernandez), Marc (Guehi), Erling, Ruben (Dias) – so at some point we probably need to give them some rest.”

Including the clash with Ipswich, Man City have seven games in 22 days to prepare for before November’s international break begins, including four Premier League fixtures.

The Citizens will also face AEK Athens and RB Leipzig in the Champions League during this period, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup fourth round.

At present, Man City are blessed with a fully-fit squad, and it remains to be seen whether Maresca will opt to rotate some of his stars against Ipswich or instead make changes against AEK Athens three days later.

Haaland is, however, still expected to lead the line for City against Ipswich, with the Norwegian having previously scored four goals in just two appearances against the Tractor Boys in the 2024-25 campaign.

Maresca: “Foden is going to give us something”

One Man City player who is now available for selection is Phil Foden, who has served a three-match domestic suspension following his red card in the Manchester derby on September 13.

Foden featured as a second-half substitute against PSG in midweek, and Maresca has no doubt that the playmaker – who has not scored a Premier League goal since last December – will soon make his mark in the first team.

“He will score tomorrow!,” Maresca quipped. “We just try to work with him day by day. The international break and since the red card against United has been quite long.

“But he has been training well, he’s doing well since we start [made a] very positive start, very good. We'll see for tomorrow, he's available but we have so many games

“We need to decide if he starts tomorrow or not and if he does, no doubt he will give us something.”

Man City, who beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield last weekend, are looking to make it seven wins in seven games in the Premier League when they face an Ipswich side who sit 10th in the table and beat Fulham 2-1 in their last match.