Maresca’s odd captaincy rule could sideline Haaland at Man City

On a humid evening in Asia, Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca walked onto the training pitch and announced that the club will name a new captain after Bernardo Silva’s departure, but that Erling Haaland is unlikely to fill the role because of his scoring frequency.

Maresca explained that his reluctance stems from a tactical habit he has kept throughout his career: whenever the team scores, the captain must report to the touchline for instructions. He recalled, “At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench for instructions and not celebrate.”

Captaincy rule on the touchline

He added, “But if he scores, then he can celebrate. If Erling is the captain, f****** hell – we have a problem, can you imagine?” The manager believes that Haaland’s prolific goal‑scoring would pull the captain away from the bench far too often.

Maresca noted that City currently have three or four captains sharing duties, but they are missing one as Rodri recovers from back surgery. The midfielder, linked with Barcelona, leaves a further gap in the leadership group.

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In other news, England Under‑21 striker Divin Mubama secured a loan move to Southampton after a season at Stoke, where he scored five goals in 28 outings. The 21‑year‑old praised City’s style on the Asian tour, saying, “I believe in myself, 100 per cent… I’ve just come back from a pre‑season where I’ve scored goals. I feel fresh, I feel sharp, so I’m really excited to get going.”

City will be back in action on Sunday when they face Arsenal in the Community Shield at Cardiff, before opening their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth on 23 August.