"This is a big challenge. This scares off many people. The beauty with Enzo is he actually wants that challenge. He loves that challenge," Khaldoon said in his annual end-of-season interview with the club.
The chairman outlined what makes Maresca uniquely well-placed to take on one of the most demanding jobs in world football, emphasising his deep institutional knowledge of City and the personal relationships he has built across three spells at the club.
"Enzo is a known individual and a known manager, someone that has been part of this Club, part of the success of the Club, someone we all know very, very well," Khaldoon said.
"He knows us very, very well and he has been part of this family. He was part of the Academy, with the success of the Academy and then he was part of the Treble-winning team, one of the most important teams in the history of this Club. We've always been very, very attracted by his football, by his mind, by his humanity.
"He's another very, very special individual. We've seen him evolve as a manager. He doesn't shy away from the challenge, from taking on Leicester, to obviously then taking an important club in Chelsea and winning some important trophies. So, Enzo, I think, is an excellent fit for the team."
Khaldoon was equally forthright about his confidence in the squad Maresca inherits, pointing to a group that blends experienced elite players with a remarkable depth of youth.
"I think next year we're going to come back very strong," he said. "Enzo is going to come in with a strong nucleus of a team with the additions that we're going to work with him towards bringing, but we're strong.
"From Erling, Rodri, Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku who has been phenomenal this season, Khusanov extraordinary, Nico O'Reilly, Donnarumma… In every position we have very talented young players and with the depth of experience of players like Rodri as an example, I mean, we really have quite a team."
On O'Reilly, who came through City's academy system, Khaldoon was particularly proud.
"He's a product of our own Academy," he said. "He's a young man that went through the multiple age groups within the Club and look at him now. Every player I think has that crossover year, where they make that move from being a young player to a man and really make that big transition. Incredible talent, we're very happy and it just shows how we keep developing great talent from this Academy."
The chairman also pointed to Rayan Cherki as another example of the club's high-conviction approach to young talent, describing him as "quite a special player" who remains a young man with significant development ahead of him.