Maresca could be missing six Man City stars for first Arsenal showdown

Enzo Maresca welcomes the first batch of City stars back to training on Monday at the training ground, although most of those involved at the World Cup will get additional rest. A season that began all the way back in June 2025 with the Club World Cup is only just concluding for some.

That means that Maresca will start without many of his best players, and it will be some time before he gets them back. FIFPro, the union for players, says that at least four weeks are needed to rest in the summer between seasons, and City tend to have that as a minimum.

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To get it, it's a simple one-two punch.

There is a chance that some could choose to return early if they want to get settled with Maresca, but realistically there are six players who will not have had those four weeks of rest before the Community Shield with Arsenal takes place on August 16. They are Rodri, Rayan Cherki, Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi, Elliot Anderson, and James Trafford with all of those making it to the final weekend of the World Cup.

At least five of that number would be hopeful of starting that game if not six, so Maresca will have to draw up alternative plans for the first showdown of the season with the Premier League champions as City look to make a statement in the new manager's first game. Arsenal will likely be missing even more if they adhere to the same protocols, and have an injury worry with France defender William Saliba.

Should those six City players all have four weeks off, they would then have just a few training sessions to get back up to speed before the Premier League starts again.