Maresca Confirms Reijnders Likely to Leave Manchester City
Enzo Maresca did not sound like a manager expecting a late U-turn.
Asked whether Tijani Reijnders’ situation at Manchester City mirrors that of Omar Marmoush and James Trafford, whose frustrations last season have shaped their futures, the City boss drew a clear line between ambition and opportunity.
“Probably, yes,” Maresca said. “They all work every day, they do sessions every day and at the end of the week they all want to play a game. When they don't play, they struggle to understand or see the reason why. I can understand that after one season, some of them would like to play a little bit more. It's a normal situation.”
The message was blunt: this is what happens at elite clubs. Not everyone plays. Not everyone waits.
“It's a Bit Difficult to Convince Players”
Pressed on whether he has managed to persuade Reijnders to stay, Maresca cut straight to the heart of it.
“It's a bit dificult to convince playesr when they are already convinced, it's not always easy. It's Tijani's situation,” he admitted. “I think when the club, players, manager, they all think in the same way, that is probably the best decision for a player to go? They go.”
No drama, no public battle. Just a manager acknowledging that once a player’s mind is set, the conversation usually has only one ending.
A Role That May Never Happen
What makes Reijnders’ potential departure sting a little more for Maresca is that he had a clear idea of how he wanted to use him.
“Tij is not officially done, but we'll see in the next hour,” he said, hinting at how close the situation is to being resolved. “I already spoke with him a few times in pre-season, then we will see if he is going to leave or if he is going to stay, we try to...”
The Italian then lifted the curtain on his view of the midfielder.
“In the way he was playing in the pre-season games, I was quite happy with his performance overall. I know Tij from Italy, from Milan when he was there so I know him quite well. I know there he was playing in a different position, he likes to play a little more deep rather than high up the pitch, but again in the pre-season he was good, then we'll see what happens and we'll decide.”
Maresca sees a deeper-lying Reijnders, not the more advanced role he often occupied at Milan. The pre-season performances backed that up. The problem is simple: they may end up being nothing more than a brief glimpse of what might have been.
Now, as the clock ticks on Reijnders’ future, Manchester City look ready to let another restless talent walk rather than stand in his way.
