Enzo Maresca provides positive Erling Haaland update ahead of Man City’s clash with Aston Villa

Enzo Maresca provides positive Erling Haaland update ahead of Man City’s clash with Aston Villa Erling Haaland fit for Aston Villa as Manchester City assess injury concerns Manchester City have one clear piece of good news ahead of the trip to Villa Park, Erling Haaland is ready. After limping off following his two-goal display in the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town, there was some doubt. Enzo Maresca has shut that down. “Erling is the only one 100 per cent available,” he confirmed on Thursday. That is the headline, and for City it matters. Haaland had already logged heavy minutes for Norway during the international break, then started all three of City’s matches afterwards. He was left on the bench for the entire midweek win over AEK Athens, a night when Phil Foden grabbed a hat-trick, but the decision now looks more like management than necessity. Manchester City injury update before Aston Villa The rest of the picture is less straightforward. Matheus Nunes, Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic are all in the grey area between improving and available. Kovacic has a knock, while Nunes and O’Reilly are dealing with niggles. None featured in the squad against AEK, and Maresca is waiting on one more session before making the call. “We have a session this afternoon,” he explained. “They can be all available or not. Yesterday they were all improving, and we’ll see this afternoon.” Photo IMAGO Enzo Maresca weighs attacking options Maresca also hinted at a more aggressive attacking setup. Asked about fitting Haaland, Foden and Ryaan Cherki into the same side, he gave a fairly direct answer: “It depends a little bit on the game plan. I think they can play all together, yeah.” That is exactly what Villa will not want to hear. If Haaland returns fresh, and Foden carries his midweek form into the weekend, City will arrive with enough firepower to cause serious damage. Aston Villa test comes at useful moment What City need now is stability. Availability has been patchy in key areas, so getting Haaland back without limitation is significant. The uncertainty around the midfield and wider squad remains, but the most important striker at the club is fit. That changes the tone of the Villa game. Elsewhere, Antoine Semenyo is facing months out with a knee injury.