Rayan Ait-Nouri Aims for Regular Goals Under Maresca
Rayan Ait-Nouri is not content with just ticking boxes in pre-season. He wants numbers. Goals. End product.
Fresh from his first strike for City under Enzo Maresca, the 25-year-old made it clear this is no one-off ambition but the start of a new chapter in his game.
“I would like to,” he told the club’s official channel when asked if he wants to score regularly. “It was my first goal for City, and it's a part of the game I really enjoy. I have always tried to play in an attacking way, but I don't score all the time.”
There was no hint of self-congratulation in his words, only a hunger to turn that isolated moment into a habit. “It's a real sensation for me, and I want to learn every day, work more and more to add as much to my game as I can,” he said.
Maresca’s Blueprint, Ait-Nouri’s Opportunity
Maresca’s tactical plan is already reshaping Ait-Nouri’s role. Rather than being pinned to the touchline, he operated higher up the pitch against the K-League XI, tucked in behind striker Divin Mubama. It pushed him into the pockets where games are decided, not just controlled.
He slotted into an advanced line with Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo, a fluid trio tasked with feeding Mubama and breaking lines. The result was City’s first win under Maresca — a small step in terms of the calendar, a bigger one in terms of identity.
The Italian coach wants aggression with the ball, and Ait-Nouri looks determined to be one of the players who embodies that shift. His goal in the win over the K-League XI felt like a glimpse of what Maresca believes he can become: not just a willing runner, but a genuine attacking threat.
From K-League XI to Atletico Madrid
The mood around the camp has lifted with that first positive result, but the tone of the next test will be very different. Atletico Madrid await on Sunday, a side that turns even friendlies into examinations of character.
Ait-Nouri knows exactly what that means.
“It will be a different game than the last two games,” he said. “We really enjoy playing this kind of game against one of the better teams in Europe; it will help us really prepare for next season.
“We know about Atletico's level, and it will be good to play them before we face Arsenal next week.”
So the stakes rise quickly. From a confidence-building win over a K-League selection to a duel with Diego Simeone’s hardened group, then straight into a clash with Arsenal. Pre-season, on paper, but with a clear edge.
For Ait-Nouri, that schedule is not just preparation. It is a proving ground. If he can turn that “real sensation” of scoring into a regular feature against this calibre of opposition, Maresca’s City will start the season with a very different kind of weapon on their hands.
