Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has made clear that the decision over Omar Marmoush's long-term future at the club rests with the player himself, following a standout display in a pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid.
Marmoush, who arrived at the Etihad from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, netted twice as City beat Atletico 3-1 in Seoul on Sunday. The performance reignited questions about the Egyptian forward's role at the club, where he has largely operated in the shadow of Erling Haaland since his move.
Despite scoring 10 Premier League goals last season, Marmoush made just 22 league starts, with a further 15 outings coming from the bench. With Haaland firmly established as City's first-choice striker, and unlikely to be dislodged under Maresca's management, the Italian coach suggested Marmoush faces a similar situation to goalkeeper James Trafford, who recently departed for Leeds after finding opportunities limited.
Asked directly about Marmoush's prospects going forward, Maresca drew that comparison. "The answer has to be similar to the one I answer about James Trafford. Players work every day, they want to play so when they don't play they are not happy," he said.
The manager acknowledged the striker's frustration at limited game time last season while stressing that the situation is not necessarily fixed. "Omar did not play a lot last year so his desire is probably to play more minutes. It doesn't mean that he isn't going to play more minutes here but it's also his decision, and he needs to decide," Maresca explained.
The comments come amid City's pre-season tour of Asia, which has proceeded without several key figures. Haaland, Rodri and new signing Rayan Cherki have all been absent, as have England internationals Elliot Anderson, Marc Guehi and Nico O'Reilly, all of whom featured at the World Cup and have been given extended breaks as a result.
Despite the missing names, Maresca struck an optimistic tone about the progress made by the squad members available to him during the tour. "I'm very happy. Especially because the players since we started have been open-minded. They want to understand and want to learn why we do things," he said.
The former Leicester and Chelsea coach, who took charge of City ahead of this season, acknowledged the scale of the task in implementing his ideas but pointed to encouraging signs in training and matches alike. "I know that when you join a new club you try to install new patterns or different ideas. The most important thing is we are getting better," he added. "The path is a huge path to improve things. But I can see we are trying what we do in training, and we are getting better at that."
City's preparations for the new campaign will conclude with a Community Shield clash against Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this Sunday. Attention will then shift firmly to the Premier League, with Maresca's side opening their title defense at home to Bournemouth on 23 August before traveling to Crystal Palace five days later.
Marmoush's situation is likely to remain a talking point throughout the early weeks of the season, with speculation over his role, and potentially his future, set to continue unless a resolution is found before the transfer window closes.
Based on reporting from Independent (Football).