Ghana International Antoine Semenyo says he’s ready to step up for Manchester City’s attack if needed. The Ghana international showcased his finishing ability by scoring twice in Manchester City’s 5-3 Premier League victory over Sunderland on Sunday.
Haaland also found the net, as Maresca’s side continued their perfect start to the season, meaning Manchester City rarely have to worry about goals.
However, the club’s summer transfer activity left them without a clear alternative when Haaland is absent.
Maresca sees winger Semenyo as the most direct backup, and the 26-year-old is willing to take on the role.
Semenyo said: “I’ve heard about him saying that, about being a backup striker. I don’t even know where that came from! But yeah, if I need to, I’ll do it. I’m completely fine with it.”
Regarding his finishing ability, he added: “I think it’s instinct. As long as I’m in front of the goal, I know the goal won’t move. As long as I put it in the corner and hit it solidly enough, I know it will go in.”
Sunderland pushed Manchester City hard in the match, showing no signs of fatigue after their Europa League fixture midweek.
The visitors’ Brobbey scored a hat-trick, but Semenyo’s brace and Haaland’s late strike secured the win for Manchester City, with Enzo Fernandez and Cherki also on the scoresheet.
Both sides created many chances in the frantic match. Haaland missed an open goal, Brobbey hit the crossbar, and Ruben Dias cleared one off the line. Sunderland also believed they should have been awarded a penalty for a handball by Elliott-Anderson.
Semenyo said: “It was a tough game. Physically, we knew it would be like that – tackles, aerial duels, set pieces. We knew it would be a tough game and we just needed to stick together, win our individual battles, and get the three points, which we did. Sometimes games are like that; you can’t control every match. You just have to go with the flow. We knew that as soon as we got our chances, we would score.”
Manchester City have now won seven consecutive matches in all competitions since their Community Shield loss to Arsenal.
Leading the Premier League table by three points, Maresca has made a strong start to his tenure, but Semenyo believes the team still has room for improvement.
He said: “Everyone is feeling good. We’re in the position we want to be in right now, but we’re not going to get too complacent or too relaxed. We know there are still many games left in the season. We just want to keep winning and keep moving forward. We’ve only been together for seven or eight weeks, which isn’t very long, but we’re doing well. We’re winning games, and we’ll continue to improve.”
