Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca has signalled that Ayyoub Bouaddi could be handed more game time after the Moroccan midfielder’s impressive cameo in City’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Bouaddi, who arrived at the Etihad from Lille in an £85m summer deal, has made just two starts for City since his move, with Maresca generally favouring more experienced options in the middle of the park.

But the 19-year-old’s energy and composure off the bench against the French champions appear to have shifted his head coach’s thinking.

City trailed 3-0 at half-time before mounting a spirited second-half fightback that ultimately fell short, with PSG running out 4-2 winners.

Bouaddi was introduced after the break and played a part in City’s response, his driving runs offering a different dimension to a side that had struggled to assert itself in midfield during the opening 45 minutes.

The nature of the comeback has prompted fresh debate over whether City need more of Bouaddi’s profile in similar fixtures going forward.

Maresca, however, was careful to stress that the first-half problems went beyond a simple personnel issue, even as he opened the door to using the teenager more regularly.

Maresca weighs up midfield balance for toughest tests

Speaking after the match, as reported by the Manchester Evening News, Maresca explained his thinking around squad selection for games against elite opposition, insisting there is no single formula for setting up his midfield.

“I don’t think that we can be open,” he said, before adding that certain fixtures demand a different approach. He explained there are games where City need to be “a little bit more aggressive in the middle”.

For the PSG match, Maresca opted to go less physical and more technical by starting Rayan Cherki, but conceded that fixtures against sides of PSG’s calibre may require greater physical presence through the centre of the pitch.

“For this game, I went less physical and more technical with Rayan, but probably against these kind of teams you need to be quite strong especially in the middle because they are very good with Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Zaire Emery or Joao Neves,” he said.

The Italian further revealed that he could start putting Rayan Cherki on the bench I accomodate Bouaddi in midfield.

“But again I think the first-half problems were for different reasons but for sure Bouaddi, Enzo and Elliot can be a solution in the future.”

A rapid rise for City’s Morocco international

Bouaddi‘s development has been one of the more eye-catching subplots of City’s season so far. A product of Lille’s academy, he made his breakthrough as a teenager and was a senior squad member for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup before his big-money move to Manchester in the summer.

Interestingly, City were not the only club keen on his signature. PSG themselves had tracked Bouaddi’s progress and viewed him as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe, but ultimately chose not to pursue a deal, partly due to an already crowded midfield department at the Parc des Princes.

That decision means Wednesday’s meeting carried an added layer of intrigue, with Bouaddi facing the club that once considered signing him.

He has made five appearances for City since the move, including starts in the Champions League against Porto and in the League Cup against Norwich, but Wednesday’s second-half introduction against one of Europe’s in-form sides may prove to be a turning point in his first season in English football.

With City still searching for consistency in Europe after a mixed run of results this season, Maresca’s willingness to lean on young talent like Bouaddi, alongside Enzo Fernandez, could shape how the Premier League giants approach their remaining fixtures in the competition.

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