Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo ruled out for eight weeks with knee injury; set to miss Somalia games

Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo will be sidelined for eight weeks after sustaining a knee injury, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

The 26-year-old picked up the injury during Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium.

Semenyo came on as a substitute in the closing stages of the match but suffered an untimely setback, limping down the tunnel at full-time.

The injury is a significant blow for Manchester City, although Maresca admitted he was relieved the damage was not as serious as initially feared.

“The only one who will be out for probably eight weeks is Antoine [Semenyo],” Maresca said at a pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against AEK Athens.

“In the first moment, we expected a worse injury. After yesterday’s scan, we feel much better because it’s not as big as we expected. It will be eight weeks.

“Now the most important thing is recovery. When he is back in December, it will be like a new player. Collateral. It’s not muscle.”

Semenyo’s absence will also affect Ghana’s preparations for their upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Somalia.

The forward is expected to miss the Black Stars’ back-to-back fixtures against Somalia next month, scheduled for Matchdays Three and Four of the qualifying campaign.

Ghana are under pressure to revive their qualification hopes after suffering defeats against Ivory Coast and The Gambia in their opening two matches.

Semenyo was absent from both games, meaning his injury will further limit Ghana’s attacking options as they seek to get their campaign back on track.