‘Enzo is ready’: City boss hails Argentine star’s winning mentality

Manchester City's new record signing Enzo Fernandez is ready to start when the Premier League leaders host Coventry City this weekend while Erling Haaland is among four players named as captains, manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.

Last season's top scorer Haaland, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma have been named the four captains for City following the close-season departure of Bernardo Silva, who was the club's skipper last season.

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Fernandez played under Maresca at Chelsea and joined City for a reported British record-equalling fee of £125 million ($168.70 million) and the Italian manager said he is available for selection when they play promoted Coventry on Saturday.

"Enzo is ready, yes. I know Enzo quite well and I know what he can bring to the team," Maresca told reporters.

He is a winner, with a winner's mentality and knows how to win. The World Cup, Club World Cup... the main thing is he's a winner.

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca

"He is a winner, with a winner's mentality and knows how to win. The World Cup, Club World Cup... the main thing is he's a winner.

"When you belong to a squad and another winner arrives, they are always happy. I can promise you that in the last five days, four or five players came to ask, 'Is he coming or not?' It's very important he's with us."

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Signing Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye on transfer deadline day took City's close-season rebuild to more than £450 million and Maresca was "very, very happy" with the efforts of City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and director of football Hugo Viana.

"In the last days, Iliman and Enzo arrived, and now the squad is complete, it's finished. Now it's time to work," he added.

"He (Ndiaye) is so good. In the last two days, you can see already how good he is in terms of one-v-one, the last third, inside the box. I'm very happy to have him with us."

Maresca also said Matheus Nunes is back in the squad but Jeremy Doku remains sidelined with injury.