Enzo Fernandez is in line to make his Manchester City debut this weekend, Enzo Maresca has confirmed. The Argentine moved from Chelsea to City in a £125m Deadline Day transfer, reuniting him with his former manager for the first time since he left Stamford Bridge in January.
Match fitness and team news
Fernandez had not played in any of Chelsea's three matches so far this season, with Xabi Alonso leaving him out due to widespread speculation regarding his future, which raised questions about his match fitness on arrival at the Etihad. However, Maresca was unequivocal, stating: "Enzo is ready."
While Fernandez is set to feature, two of his new team-mates will have to wait to play alongside him. Maresca explained: "Jeremy [Doku] is still out. Matheus [Nunes] is back. He will be with us tomorrow."
Reaction to Fernandez arrival
Fernandez is a somewhat controversial character, with his theatrics at the World Cup fresh in the memory and the tactics he employed in pushing to leave Chelsea possibly leaving a sour taste. Nevertheless, Maresca insists his new team-mates are thrilled to have him: "I just said he is a winner and when you belong to a squad and another winning player arrives, they are always happy."
"I can promise you that in the last four or five days, four or five players from the squad were asking if he is coming or not because they want him to be with us. It's very important that he is with us, and we are 100% happy with that."
