Two Manchester City legends give Enzo Maresca their tick of approval | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca is now the Manchester City manager. The Italian manager will face the unenviable task of succeeding Pep Guardiola. Maresca has shown at Chelsea and Leicester City that he has the tools to become a very good manager. He has also received public backing from two Manchester City legends, which does bode well for Maresca and his chances of succeeding at City.

Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan have shared their thoughts on the appointment of Enzo Maresca as Manchester City manager.

In an interview with the BBC, Ilkay Gundogan has shared his thoughts on City appointing Enzo Maresca as manager. Gundogan believes that Maresca is an amazing coach, and he also had high praise for Enzo Maresca as a person. Gundogan said: “As a coach, I think he has amazing qualities. Maybe they are not obviously different than when he was an assistant – this is something I can’t really judge – but you know that he is smart and he knows exactly what he does.”

“As a human being, he is unbelievable. In this football world, I have not met many other people like him.”

“I think he will be incredible. Similar to Pep, he has the intelligence to do the right decisions and to do the right tactical things, but then also on the human side, to get everyone on board.“

“I am sure that probably 99% of the people inside the club will also be very happy.“

Kyle Walker wrote in The Sun, that he believes that City have made a clever move in appointing Enzo Maresca as their manager. The former England international said that Maresca had to prove that he can succeed at Manchester City. However, Maresca’s knowledge of Manchester City’s philosophy should aid his cause, Walker believes. Also, Walker said that during Maresca’s time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 season, he was a great bridge between the City players and Pep Guardiola. This trait should also set Maresca up well for what lies ahead as City manager.

It is pleasing to learn that Enzo Maresca has the backing of two City legends.

Ilkay Gundogan and Kyle Walker do have intimate knowledge of how Enzo Maresca operates. The Italian manager has spent considerable time at Manchester City. He also had a great working relationship with the City players during his time as Manchester City’s Elite Development Side manager, and again as Pep Guardiola’s assistant during Manchester City’s famous treble-winning campaign. It is hard to miss this point in Gundogan and Walker’s assessments of Enzo Maresca.

Tactically, Enzo Maresca has proven his pedigree at Chelsea, to a degree. Chelsea’s 3-0 win over PSG in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final was a testament to Maresca’s tactical know-how. Maresca’s Chelsea side picked the European champions apart. As Cole Palmer said after Chelsea’s win, Maresca came up with a game plan to get at the spaces that PSG left for them. Maresca’s Chelsea side did that in spectacular fashion to claim a famous victory.

Being a manager comes with its own challenges. Managing a group of players who all want to play every match comes with its own challenges. Maresca has shown he can handle this and Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan have spoken highly of Maresca as a person. He will also need to utilise this trait to succeed as Manchester City manager.

Enzo Maresca’s appointment as Manchester City manager has received the backing of Manchester City legends Ilkay Gundogan and Kyle Walker. That is pleasing to learn as Maresca embarks on the challenge of continuing on Manchester City’s decade of dominance under Pep Guardiola.