Manchester City now have a fallback option in place in case Erling Haaland suffers an injury.
City are left with only one recognised senior striker in the squad following Omar Marmoush’s departure to Tottenham, with the Egypt international joining the north London club on an initial loan.
That move is set to become permanent for a fee in the region of £60million, meaning the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward will not be returning to the Etihad Stadium.
Enzo Maresca’s team did not bring in a replacement for Marmoush, which means Haaland is their only natural central striking choice heading into the new season.
The transfer window has now closed, and although City made two additions on Deadline Day, both of them were midfield signings.
Iliman Ndiaye arrived from Everton in a £65m deal, and later City matched the British transfer record by signing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for £125m, bringing one of the longest-running sagas of the summer to a close.
Even with limited depth at centre-forward, The Independent reports that Maresca has a plan in place if Haaland needs to be rested, or if the Norway international is sidelined through injury.
That option is Antoine Semenyo, who has previously been used through the middle as a striker, although the Ghana international is more comfortable operating out wide.
Semenyo has impressed since arriving from Bournemouth in January last season, and he has established himself as a regular in City’s starting line-up.
The 26-year-old has started all three competitive matches under Maresca so far this season, and Ndiaye’s arrival will add competition in the wide areas for Semenyo, as well as Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden.
Ndiaye’s signing also means that if Haaland is given a rest, Semenyo can move in from the flank to the centre and lead the attack himself.
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