Antoine Semenyo has described new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca's attacking style of play as "music to my ears," after the winger's encouraging debut under the Italian in a pre-season fixture against Inter Milan in Hong Kong.

City fell to Inter Milan on penalties in Maresca's opening match as manager, yet the performance hinted strongly at the aggressive, direct football the former Chelsea boss intends to build. Semenyo started the first half and caused Inter Milan full-back Andy Diouf persistent trouble with his pace and direct running, contributing to Divine Mukasa's goal for City. Substitute Ryan McAidoo also caught the eye, and Maresca praised both as the "kind of wingers I love" — ones who are "very aggressive" and willing to take on their opponent in "one-v-one" duels.

What Maresca's appointment means for Semenyo

Semenyo revealed that Maresca's appointment immediately excited him, recalling how dangerous City's wide players were when Maresca managed Chelsea. "His wide men were always high and quite free," Semenyo said. "That was one of the things that excited me the most when he got appointed and it's exciting for me as a winger."

The Ghana international has already held individual meetings with Maresca to discuss his specific role in the system. "I think his ideas are great, quite similar to Pep, but if you watched the game, you would have seen a couple of his ideas play out," Semenyo added. "Enzo is just — stay out wide and when you get the ball, just create opportunities. So it is music to my ears."

A £65m move and Guardiola's pledge

Semenyo joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in the January transfer window in a deal worth £65 million, with Pep Guardiola fending off interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea to secure his signature. The player says initial contact came as early as December, though he made his decision the following month.

Semenyo was full of gratitude toward Bournemouth: "I owe them everything to be honest. They helped my Premier League career flourish and the management, the staff behind the scenes, they were all amazing." He finished last season with 21 goals across club and country, including the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea — a moment he described as a "dream come true" — as well as lifting the Carabao Cup.

Guardiola's personal pitch also played a part. "Pep spoke to me beforehand and he said, 'look, when you come, I am going to make you a better player,'" Semenyo recalled. "He definitely helped me with that in the first five months, but obviously sad for him to leave."

Faith before football

Away from the pitch, Semenyo is a committed Christian, with faith-based tattoos across his body. Last December, he was baptised by a local pastor — something he had wanted to do "for so long" but his footballing schedule had prevented. "I know that I am walking with God at the moment, and I want to maximise my faith as much as I can," he said.

Semenyo prays before matches and at the team hotel the night before games alongside Manchester City team-mates Jeremy Doku and Marc Guehi, which he says gives them "maximum strength." When asked whether faith comes before football, he was unequivocal: "Yeah, 100%. I wouldn't be here without him, so there is always going to be faith and football after. God gave me the talent to be a footballer, he gave me all the skills, he gave me the mindset and the mentality, so I owe it to him to perform."