Rayan Ait-Nouri has been frozen out at Manchester City this season, with the Algeria international making just three appearances and his only start coming in the Carabao Cup tie against Championship side Norwich City. Late Champions League cameos against Porto and AEK Athens account for his other minutes.
Enzo Maresca has handed Premier League minutes to 23 players so far this season, but the 25-year-old full-back is conspicuous by his absence from that list. He made 31 appearances in all competitions for City last season under Pep Guardiola but has fallen down the pecking order since Maresca arrived in the summer.
Maresca's View of Ait-Nouri
The Italian views the former Wolves man as more of a winger than a full-back, with Nico O'Reilly and Josko Gvardiol the leading options at left back. That leaves Ait-Nouri behind a plethora of talent for minutes out wide, considering Jeremy Doku, Iliman Ndiaye, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are all capable of playing on the wing.
Allan, Ryan McAidoo and even Jack Grealish - who left City on loan for Everton in the summer - have featured more in the Premier League for City than the absent Ait-Nouri.
Transfer Speculation and Contract
A shock loan move to Manchester United was mooted late on deadline day, but City wanted to include an option to buy in any prospective deal and the transfer fell through. It remains to be seen whether Michael Carrick's side will look to rekindle their interest, with a back-up left-back to Luke Shaw still an issue for United, while Ait-Nouri would likely have suitors elsewhere domestically and in Europe.
He is under contract at the Etihad until 2030 and cost £36 million when arriving from Wolves a little over a year ago. He had impressed at Molineux, and City valued his Premier League experience when they completed the transfer, while the player himself was keen to work under Guardiola.
Guardiola's Previous Praise
The Catalan valued Ait-Nouri but, after the full-back suffered an early-season injury last term, his path to regular starts was blocked by the form of O'Reilly, who ended the season as Premier League Young Player of the Year and an England left-back.
"He knows the Premier League, can play outside and inside, can play in different positions," said Guardiola of Ait-Nouri last season. "He came not just for a certain period, for a long time."
It remains to be seen if Ait-Nouri's time at City is into its final few months.
