Maresca says Haaland told him he was fine after Man City beat Ipswich

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says Erling Haaland told him he was okay after the striker appeared to limp down the tunnel following City's 3-2 Premier League win over Ipswich.

Asked at his post-match press conference whether the injury concern could rule Haaland out of Tuesday's game, Maresca said City had four or five players come off in the space of about ten minutes and that he had no firm news at the time. He later said he had checked with each of them. Mateo Kovacic and Haaland both told him they were fine.

Maresca said Nico O'Reilly is still dealing with the back problem he had in the warm-up against Coventry. The only player he said the club needed to wait on was Antoine, with an assessment still to come.

Maresca also praised Haaland's scoring. The Norwegian is on 209 goals for the club, and Maresca described his leadership as an important part of what he offers, calling him one of City's captains.

Record start for the manager

Maresca was reminded that he had been celebrated as having made the best start of any manager in Premier League history. He said he was happy because winning games is what matters, and that City had now won seven in a row. He said he was most pleased with the daily work with the players and the improvement he sees in them.

He said City controlled the game against Ipswich, created chances, scored and defended well without the ball. He also admitted he had not expected to win seven from seven. He said he does not look beyond the next match.

Credit for the players

Questioned on the noise around the club in recent days, Maresca said the players deserve credit for the way they have handled it, including the trip to Liverpool and the second-half performance against PSG. He said the players are focused on people inside the club rather than outside judgement, and that he and the club give them credit. He said that when the team prepares for games, they do not think about what is happening around the club and focus only on beating the opponent.

He was also asked about Phil Foden, who scored. Maresca said he has known Foden for years, regards him as one of the best players in the Premier League, and sees it as his job to help him return to that level. He hoped the goal would be the start of many.

Six changes and the crowd

Maresca made six changes for the match. He said that can be a concern, but the team kept its approach on and off the ball, conceded nothing in his view and created chances. He said he was happy for the players who have had fewer starts.

Asked about the bananas in the crowd, he said the atmosphere was very good and that he had been told it was a record attendance for the stadium.