Maresca Discusses Likely Reijnders Exit: Players Want Game Time

Enzo Maresca did not try to dress it up. Asked if Tijani Reijnders’ situation at Manchester City mirrors that of Omar Marmoush and James Trafford, the City manager accepted the pattern is becoming familiar.

“Probably, yes,” he said, pointing to the same tension that runs through every elite squad. Players train hard all week. They expect a payoff. “They all work every day, they do sessions every day and at the end of the week they all want to play a game. When they don't play, they struggle to understand or see the reason why.”

That, Maresca stressed, is not a crisis. It is the reality of a dressing room stacked with internationals. “I can understand that after one season, some of them would like to play a little bit more. It's a normal situation.”

“When the Club, Players, Manager Think the Same Way…”

Pressed on whether he has managed to persuade Reijnders to stay, Maresca cut straight to the heart of it.

“It's a bit difficult to convince players when they are already convinced, it's not always easy,” he admitted. “It's Tijani's situation.”

The message was clear: when a player’s mind is set, the battle is usually lost. At that point, alignment becomes everything.

“I think when the club, players, manager, they all think in the same way, that is probably the best decision for a player to go? They go.”

No drama. Just a cold, collective conclusion that the move is right for everyone.

A Player Maresca Knows Well

Reijnders’ departure is not yet rubber-stamped, but Maresca spoke like a coach already preparing for life without him.

“Tij is not officially done, but we'll see in the next hour,” he said. The pair have spoken “a few times” across pre-season, weighing up what comes next. Stay and fight for minutes? Or step away to play a bigger role elsewhere?

On the pitch, Maresca liked what he saw.

“In the way he was playing in the pre-season games, I was quite happy with his performance overall,” he said.

This is not a manager letting go of an unknown quantity. Maresca’s knowledge of Reijnders stretches back to Italy. “I know Tij from Italy, from Milan when he was there so I know him quite well. I know there he was playing in a different position, he likes to play a little more deep rather than high up the pitch.”

At City, that versatility could have been a weapon. A deeper role, a different angle in midfield, another option for a coach who values control and structure. Reijnders showed enough in the summer to convince Maresca he could adapt.

But the player’s need is simpler: he wants to play.

“In the pre-season he was good,” Maresca repeated, before leaving the final line hanging. “Then we'll see what happens and we'll decide.”

The decision, in truth, seems almost made.