Injured in the knee on Saturday against Ipswich, Antoine Semenyo will be out for around eight weeks, coach Enzo Maresca has announced. The Ghanaian forward of Manchester City will notably miss several Champions League fixtures.
Antoine Semenyo injured his knee during Manchester City’s 3-2 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday. Brought on in the 77th minute, the Ghana international finished the match visibly limping, according to Sports Mole. The MRI scan taken on Sunday revealed damage to the collateral ligament of the knee, ruling out a more serious muscle injury, according to Daily Sabah and The Independent.
At a press conference this Monday 19 October 2026, Enzo Maresca confirmed an absence of around eight weeks. “The rest are more or less okay. The only one that will be out for probably eight weeks is Antoine,” he said on the club’s official website. His return to competitive action is not expected before December 2026.
A busy schedule without him
According to Sports Mole, Semenyo will miss at least 13 official matches in all competitions with Manchester City. He will notably be absent for the upcoming Champions League fixtures against AEK Athens, RB Leipzig and Napoli. The Citizens are coming off a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on the second matchday of the competition, according to Goal.
The Ghanaian forward had only just recovered from a leg injury sustained during the September-October international window with the Black Stars, Sports Mole reports. This new setback comes as Manchester City lead the Premier League with seven consecutive wins in the first seven matchdays, according to the club.
Haaland, the alternative in the balance
Maresca had planned to use Semenyo as a direct alternative at centre-forward to give striker Erling Haaland a rest, The Guardian explains. That option now disappears for around eight weeks, while Haaland himself is uncertain after taking a knock to the foot against Ipswich. He could nevertheless be available on Tuesday, again according to The Guardian.
The coach was keen to play down the severity of the injury. “In the first moment we expected an even worse injury so we were more worried. After yesterday’s scan we feel much better because it’s not so big like we expected,” he said on Manchester City’s official website. He also told Goal: “It is a collateral ligament injury, not a muscular injury.”
A return envisaged in December
Maresca stressed the need to manage his player’s return carefully. “Now in this moment the most important thing for him is his recovery. When he is back around December it will be like a new player in terms of energy,” he added on the club website. A way of underlining that the Ghanaian winger could give the squad a fresh boost at the end of the year.
Manchester City host AEK Athens on Tuesday 20 October at 21:00 (Paris time) at the Etihad Stadium, on matchday 3 of the league phase. Antoine Semenyo will be absent.