Enzo Maresca has signaled that Ryan McAidoo will stay at Manchester City this season, backing the 18-year-old winger to develop within the first-team environment rather than sending him out on loan. The indication comes directly from what Maresca saw during pre-season, including a performance against Inter Milan that caught the head coach's attention.
"For him the best thing is to stay with us, to learn and be around the first team every day," Maresca said. He described McAidoo as exactly the type of winger he wants to work with and said the club's job is to find the right path for the teenager's development.
Maresca framed the learning environment around specific senior players. He told McAidoo to study Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku — not to copy their dribbling, but to absorb their work ethic. "When I say try to learn, it's not in terms of how to dribble — it's about working hard because it can be difficult with young players, they can stop working because they feel they are ready when they are not," Maresca said.
McAidoo's situation has become clearer as speculation around fellow winger Savinho and a potential move to Tottenham continues to circulate. With Savinho's future unresolved, keeping McAidoo in Manchester gives City depth on the wing and a viable in-house option if the Brazilian departs.
On the captaincy, Maresca is not ready to name a full leadership group and will wait until the transfer window shuts before finalizing it. The previous captain, Bernardo Silva, has already left City. Rodri's status remains uncertain, with Barcelona weighing another offer for the Spain midfielder. That departure, if it happens, would strip the club of two key figures from its former leadership core.
"At the moment it is Ruben and Erling, and I want to wait until the end of the transfer window and pick two more," Maresca said. The deliberate omission of Rodri's name when discussing the leadership group was pointed — Maresca did not include him.
Ruben Dias sits in the strongest position to wear the armband. The Portugal defender has been part of City's leadership structure since 2021, and Maresca spoke directly about what he expects from anyone in that role. "Ruben has shown during his time at this club how he is as a player, in terms of leadership," Maresca said. He added that captaincy at City is not a reward — it carries a higher standard of output. "It's important for the captain and the leader to know that the reason they are captain is because I expect more from them. It's not because I give them more freedom or advantage. It's the opposite."
Erling Haaland is in the current leadership group, but Maresca has flagged a practical concern with naming him captain. His preference is to call the skipper over during goal celebrations to discuss tactical adjustments — a moment when Haaland would typically be leading the celebration itself. That dynamic creates a conflict with how Maresca wants to use the captain's role on the pitch.
Beyond Dias and Haaland, Maresca has internal candidates ready if the group needs to expand. Marc Guehi, the former Crystal Palace captain, is one option. Josko Gvardiol is another. Phil Foden has also indicated he wants a larger leadership role at the club.
The Rodri situation adds complexity to all of it. If Barcelona submits an offer that City accepts, the squad loses one of the most decorated midfielders in the club's history and one of its most influential dressing-room voices. That outcome would reshape the captaincy picture entirely and potentially reopen City's interest in Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, who holds a leadership role at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had set an internal deadline for bids on Fernandez, which passed on Friday, though Maresca's camp has not ruled out a revisit if Rodri leaves.
Maresca is managing genuine roster uncertainty on multiple fronts — the captaincy, the Rodri situation, the Savinho link to Spurs — and he is choosing patience over a premature decision. Waiting until the window closes before naming two additional captains is the logical call when the squad's final shape is still in flux. McAidoo is set to stay, Dias leads the group right now, and Maresca has a clear idea of the standard he demands from anyone who wears the armband.
