Enzo Maresca says the November break is exactly what Nico O’Reilly needs after the Man City left-back was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, and he wants him back at 100 per cent once it is over.
Tuchel named his squad on Friday morning for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain. Nico O’Reilly was not in it, and neither was Phil Foden. Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi were the two City players picked.
It is a big change for O’Reilly. He was named the best young player in the Premier League last season and started several games at left-back for England at the World Cup, where the Three Lions reached the semi-finals. He has 13 senior caps.
Why is Nico O’Reilly not in the England squad?
Fitness, according to both managers. Tuchel was straightforward about it when he spoke to reporters after naming the squad.
“Djed [Spence] is on the left side, we left Nico out because he’s not fully, fully fit and needs to take his time to get fully fit and take care of his knee,” the England boss said.
The problems go back to September. O’Reilly pulled out of the Coventry game in the warm-up with a back issue and has not started two games in a row since. He has started seven of City’s 15 games in all competitions and played the full 90 minutes only twice, with a knee problem also bothering him.
What did Maresca say about O’Reilly?
Maresca was asked about it at his press conference on Friday, ahead of the trip to Nottingham Forest, and he was not worried.
“With Nico, it’s quite easy. Since we started the season, you know, with his back, if you remember before Coventry game, some more problems, unfortunately, he is not 100%,” he said. “In the last game, I really like him. I think he was playing a very good game. This is what we need from Nico, just keep him fit because we know how good he is, and no doubt that in the future he’ll again be with the international team.”
That last game was the 3-2 win in Leipzig on Wednesday, which you can read about in our RB Leipzig 2-3 Man City report.
Asked if a rest was what O’Reilly needed, Maresca agreed. “Yeah, is what he needs. Also, you know, to use that break, to do the right things in terms of therapy and this kind of things, and be 100% after the international break,” he said.
Who plays left-back for England instead?
Inter Milan’s Djed Spence is back in the squad in his place. Lewis Hall and Jarrad Branthwaite are the other left-footed defenders Tuchel has called up, so England have cover without him.
Foden misses out again
The other City absentee is Foden. Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha and Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham were picked ahead of him, and Rico Lewis was not included either.
Maresca said he could not explain Tuchel’s decision, but he likes what he is seeing from Foden at club level. “He’s doing well, to be honest. Now, the reason why he has been left out from the international team, I don’t know, but we are happy with Phil. We know that he can give much more. We know that. But slowly, slowly, you know, I said many times, it’s my duty to try to help him. The goal is for him slowly to be back and be one of the best,” he said.
Anderson’s place was never in doubt. He has become a key man for Tuchel, and on Friday Maresca spoke about him at length too, as we covered in Maresca’s hopes for Anderson’s return to the City Ground. Guehi keeps his spot in the England defence despite the competition for places at City.
Is the England snub good news for Man City?
Probably, yes. O’Reilly has been playing through back and knee problems for two months, and a fortnight of proper treatment instead of two more internationals is the sensible call for everyone.
City have a heavy run after the break, with 11 games before the end of the year, starting with Fulham on 21 November. A fully fit O’Reilly gives Maresca a real option at left-back and in midfield for that run, and that matters far more to City than a Nations League call-up.
First, though, there is Forest on Saturday. We still have O’Reilly at left-back, ahead of Josko Gvardiol, in our Man City predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest, and Maresca liked what he saw from him in Leipzig. After that, the message from Maresca is clear: get him right, and the England place will come back.
