Rayan Ait-Nouri was recently seen as a winger by Enzo Maresca, but the Manchester City head coach now calls him a full-back again, and a Carabao Cup tie with Brighton on Wednesday could finally give him minutes.
Geronimo Rulli has known for days that he will start in goal. Seeing Gianluigi Donnarumma given three days off after the Man City defeat at Aston Villa confirmed it, and Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are also among the five players Maresca has rested.
That leaves at least two defensive spots up for grabs for players trying to play their way into the side for Premier League and Champions League games.
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s Man City role: winger or full-back?
It has been a disrupted start for the Algerian. He was overlooked off the bench in favour of academy defender Kaden Braithwaite in the second match of the campaign, shortly before a deadline day loan move to Manchester United was explored, and he has since been tied to a possible January exit.
Maresca then replaced Gvardiol with Abdukodir Khusanov in the Porto game and made his view clear shortly afterwards. “When he was at Wolves, I know he was playing back five, so it was more wing-back than full-back,” Maresca explained. “In this moment, I see him more winger than full-back.”
Ait-Nouri played the full game against Norwich in the Carabao Cup, but opportunities have been limited since, despite injuries to wingers Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo. He was given only 20 minutes off the bench in a much-changed team against AEK Athens.
What Maresca said about Ait-Nouri on Tuesday
On Tuesday the manager spoke of him as a full-back again. “He’s basically a full-back in that position. We have Josko who is doing fantastic, we have Nico [O’Reilly] who when he is fit is doing fantastic. He’s the same position. It’s just competition between them.”
Can Ait-Nouri get minutes against Brighton?
Ait-Nouri is most likely to get minutes in the Carabao Cup. But if Maresca sees him as a full-back, then even with Gvardiol out, O’Reilly is likely to be preferred when fit. There is a chance Ait-Nouri plays instead of him, or alongside him, which would be a new challenge for the 25-year-old.
Check our Man City predicted lineup vs Brighton for how the rotated side could line up.
Author opinion
A disrupted start has left Ait-Nouri fighting for minutes in a cup tie. Until he establishes himself in one role, whether wing or full-back, it will stay a battle to get meaningful time at City, and Wednesday night is a chance to start making the case.
