The time is now for an Egyptian international to lead the line for Manchester City | OneFootball

Yesterday Manchester City announced that Erling Haaland is set for a spell on the sidelines. City’s top-scorer suffered a left ankle injury during the second half of his team’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth on Sunday. But Haaland’s injury is now an opportunity for Egyptian international Omar Marmoush to lead the line for his team. That’s exactly the insurance Marmoush offers Pep Guardiola and his team and he brings something different to the number 9 role than Erling Haaland.

We got a glimpse of what Omar Marmoush can offer when playing as the lone striker for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Vitality Stadium. He is a willing runner and his intelligent movement does create different openings for himself and his team. We saw that in the second half of City’s win over Bournemouth. He scored Manchester City’s winner with a clever finish. But that goal came after he made an intelligent run off the back of the Bournemouth defence which decided the game. Nico O’Reilly expertly picked him out and the rest is history.

Omar Marmoush was brought in January to provide cover this exact scenario.

This was the exact situation that the Egyptian international was brought to Manchester City to provide cover for. Marmoush can play alongside Haaland and they have already shown signs of a good partnership developing between the pair. But with the sale of Julian Alvarez in the summer Manchester City didn’t have any cover for Haaland until they signed Marmoush. Now he has an opportunity to lead the line for his team. He plays in an entirely different manner to Haaland but he is no less dangerous. Marmoush has scored 5 goals in 9 appearances for City and has shown flashes of brilliance. Marmoush is an intelligent player and his forward runs could provide chances for himself and his team. That will be interesting to watch unfold during Haaland’s injury absence.

Omar Marmoush will be asked to step up in Erling Haaland’s absence. Haaland’s injury has now provided the Egyptian international with the opportunity to lead the line for his team. It’s what he is made for as a player and if he can thrive in Haaland’s absence it could set him up well for his Manchester City career.