£125m Man Benched: Maresca Leaves Enzo Fernandez Out as Ndiaye Gets the Nod Instead
Manchester City spent a joint British-record £125 million on him. He’s not even starting.
Enzo Fernandez, City’s blockbuster deadline-day arrival from Chelsea, begins life at the Etihad on the bench as the Cityzens host Coventry in their bid for a perfect start to the season.
One Change, Not the One Everyone Expected
Enzo Maresca has made just a single tweak to the side that thrashed Crystal Palace 4-1 last time out — but it isn’t the headline arrival slotting into midfield.
It’s Iliman Ndiaye, City’s other big-money signing, who gets the nod for his Premier League debut, replacing Phil Foden in the attacking line.
Confirmed City XI: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Anderson, O’Reilly, Ndiaye, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland
Fernandez sits among the substitutes alongside Kovačić, Aït-Nouri, Nunes, Bouaddi, and the dropped Foden — all watching on as City look to make it three wins from three.
Why Leave Out a Record Signing?
It’s not about ability. Reports before kickoff suggested Maresca rated Fernandez ready to go, with the manager himself saying “Enzo is ready” and pointing to their history together at Chelsea.
But Nico O’Reilly has held down the deep midfield role through City’s unbeaten start, and Maresca has clearly opted not to break up a winning formula on derby-adjacent instinct alone.
It’s a version of squad management every big club wrestles with after a spending spree: do you disrupt momentum for a marquee name, or make him earn it? Today, Maresca chose the latter.
The Bigger Picture
City go into this one flying — perfect record, Erling Haaland already among the goals, Rayan Cherki finding form in behind him. Coventry, freshly promoted and winless, arrive at the Etihad as clear underdogs.
For Fernandez, the frustration of a big move is starting on the bench in front of a home crowd desperate to see him play.
But with City’s squad now stacked in every position after a £190m midweek spending spree, competition for shirts has never been fiercer — even for a World Cup finalist with a nine-figure price tag.
The Verdict
Don’t read too much into it. This is a strength-in-depth call, not a statement on Fernandez’s quality.
Expect him introduced from the bench today, and expect him starting before long — Maresca knows exactly what he’s got in his locker. The only question is how patient Fernandez needs to be before the Argentine gets his shot from minute one.
