Enzo Maresca: Next Man City manager faces immediate setback as players 'concerned'

Enzo Maresca is facing an immediate setback at Manchester City as he must convince the players of his style and plans.

This comes as the former Chelsea boss prepares to replace Pep Guardiola after the legendary manager opted to step down from his role at the Etihad.

Maresca has long been considered the natural successor to Guardiola, having worked under him before, but he will face a tough job trying to replicate his success.

Former Man United assistant manager Mick Brown told Football Insider that Maresca could struggle at Man City with players likely to have concerns about their futures.

Many players could look to depart the Etihad following Guardiola's exits, while the new manager faces a battle to win over the squad in the coming weeks.

What is Enzo Maresca's plan ahead of Man City return?

Brown told Football Insider on 6 June that Maresca has been in talks with Man City to establish his transfer plans ahead of the summer window opening.

The boss is keen to stamp his mark on his squad, and will not rely on repeating Guardiola's work in an attempt to replicate previous successes.

Instead, he will look to recruit new players while trying to win over the current crop, something previous managers have found particularly difficult.

"It's always difficult for any new manager going into a club," Brown told Football Insider.

"Especially when you're replacing somebody like Pep Guardiola, the standard has been set and it's almost always going to be impossible to match that success.

"He can't, and I'm sure he won't, try to pick up where Pep left off and look to repeat everything he did, because that's never going to work out.

"Maresca has to stamp his own mark on the squad, his own ideas, his own players and his own style of play, and it's his job to get the players where he wants them.

"It's not as easy as it sounds, I know a lot of managers have failed before because the players are used to doing things one way and they start questioning other methods.

"It turns into a bit of 'Pep would've done it this way', or 'Pep never did it like that', and that's always a problem. You would hope the senior players in the squad would stop that.

"But going off things I've seen and heard before, these are the issues the new manager will face, players can be concerned. It's not as simple as carrying on where Pep left off."

Could Man City stars follow Pep Guardiola out?

Despite Maresca putting his own transfer plans in place ahead of stepping in as the permanent Man City manager, some things may be taken out of his hands.

There has been speculation about the futures of a number of star players at the Etihad, and Guardiola's exit has led to claims players could now follow.

Football Insider revealed on 22 May that Man City stars could follow Guardiola, with the legendary boss having played a key role in luring them to the Etihad.

Chief among those is likely to be Rodri, who has just one year remaining on his contract and has so far failed to make progress towards a new deal.

The Spaniard has remained coy over his future in public, but Real Madrid are believed to be pushing to lure him in under Jose Mourinho's management.