Enzo Maresca to push rarely-seen Man City player into Man United's arms after brutal move

Enzo Maresca has clearly picked his favourites at Manchester City since walking through the doors at the Etihad Stadium.

Unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi have all been regulars during his reign so far.

Sadly, not all of them were on top form for Man City's trip to Villa Park on Saturday, 24 October, with the Citizens finally dropping points this term.

It was a surprise to see Nico O'Reilly, Phil Foden and, after his display in midweek, Rico Lewis all on the bench, with the latter two being replaced.

Maresca's early selection of players has raised some serious questions over their futures, and that was no different against the Aston Villa.

With Josko Gvardiol struggling against AEK Athens, and once again versus Villa, it was obvious that the left-back spotted desperately needed changing.

Rayan Ait-Nouri must be so frustrated under Enzo Maresca

This weekend would have been a perfect opportunity to show trust in Rayan Ait-Nouri, handing him his first start since the 5-0 win over Norwich City last month.

But no, he was resigned to the bench yet again, despite coming on as a substitute against Athens in the Champions League, and never came on.

Ait-Nouri was heavily linked with an exit during the summer window, and the 25-year-old will surely be wondering why on earth he stuck around.

It was Man City's biggest rivals, Manchester United, who were most interested in the full-back's services ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

And while Football Insider understands that Maresca still wants to keep Ait-Nouri ahead of January, he could be about to push for an exit from the Etihad.

Who else could leave Man City in January?

Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi are all rotating in the centre of the park, but that's made life very difficult for Mateo Kovacic.

It seems unlikely that he could leave at this stage in his career, but the 32-year-old is running out of time to really play a starring role at a club.

Until recently, it looked as though Rico Lewis had been frozen out of the squad. That could now change after impressing against AEK Athens.

Maresca's squad is not a massive one, so any exits would have to be replaced in January. That, of course, is not impossible for the Citizens.