Rayan Ait-Nouri's Goals Under Enzo Maresca

Rayan Ait-Nouri is not hiding what he wants from this new chapter under Enzo Maresca: goals, and plenty of them.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender has already opened his account for City, and the taste of that first strike has clearly stayed with him. Speaking to the club’s official channels, he laid out a simple ambition – to turn that isolated moment into a habit.

“I would like to. It was my first goal for City, and it's a part of the game I really enjoy. I have always tried to play in an attacking way, but I don't score all the time,” he said, before underlining the hunger that has impressed his new head coach. “It's a real sensation for me, and I want to learn every day, work more and more to add as much to my game as I can.”

Under Maresca, that evolution is already visible. The 25-year-old, long regarded as an adventurous full-back, found himself pushed higher up the pitch against the K-League XI, operating in a more advanced role behind striker Divin Mubama. Rather than hugging the touchline, he stepped into the pockets where games are decided, linking up with Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo in a fluid attacking trio.

The reward was City’s first win of pre-season under their new manager, a result that offered a glimpse of Maresca’s tactical blueprint beginning to take shape. The structure is different, the responsibilities heavier, and for Ait-Nouri, the expectations in the final third are rising.

The test now sharpens.

City will close their pre-season tour with a marquee friendly against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, a fixture that instantly raises the level of scrutiny. The Spanish side, drilled and ruthless, rarely allow opponents the freedom Ait-Nouri enjoyed against the K-League selection.

He knows it.

“It will be a different game than the last two games,” he admitted. “We really enjoy playing this kind of game against one of the better teams in Europe; it will help us really prepare for next season.

“We know about Atletico's level, and it will be good to play them before we face Arsenal next week.”

From K-League opposition to Atletico and then Arsenal in quick succession: it is a sharp climb in difficulty, and exactly the kind of run that will show whether Ait-Nouri’s attacking reinvention is a pre-season experiment or the start of something more permanent.