Enzo Maresca believes Manchester United have little reason to protest Sunday’s disputed derby winner, pointing out that Manchester City are still waiting for referees’ chief Howard Webb to apologise for a decisive call in the same fixture three years earlier. City were beaten at Old Trafford in 2023 after Bruno Fernandes scored an equaliser while Marcus Rashford, who appeared to be offside, was involved in the move.
Maresca, then working as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, subsequently watched Rashford score the winning goal minutes later. “If you remember, that was not a normal goal,” Maresca said. “Honestly, nobody apologised, and we are still waiting for one. Decisions sometimes favour you and sometimes go against you. That is part of football.”
City welcome Norwich in the Carabao Cup on Thursday, giving Maresca the chance to secure his first trophy with the club. Guardiola lifted the competition a record five times.
Phil Foden will miss the match after receiving a red card against United for lashing out at Fernandes, resulting in a three-game suspension. “He was extremely disappointed at half-time because he realised he had made a mistake,” Maresca said. “He felt slightly better after the game and was in a very good state yesterday. He understands that his response was unacceptable, but the incident is over and we must move forward.”
Having previously managed City’s under-21 side and helped five academy players progress to the senior team, Maresca may give minutes to both emerging talent and less frequently used members of the squad. Teenagers Ryan McAidoo, Kaden Braithwaite and Floyd Samba, whose father is former Blackburn defender Chris Samba, are set to be included after training with the first team throughout the season.
“We began pre-season with a large group of young players before deciding to retain these three,” Maresca said. “Training with us each day will help them develop, and opportunities to play may come at the right time.”
Brazilian midfielder Allan and goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli could make their first appearances following their summer arrivals. Jérémy Doku, meanwhile, is recovering well from the calf injury he sustained in the Community Shield.
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