Haaland has started all four of Norway’s matches during the recent international window and returned to City after helping his country reach the World Cup quarter-finals. Norway manager Ståle Solbakken acknowledged that the striker was fatigued after substituting him in their final game.
City host Ipswich Town on Saturday before facing AEK Athens in the Champions League next Tuesday. Haaland scored twice in Wednesday’s 4-2 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, taking his tally to 10 goals in nine appearances for City this season.
“At some point we probably need to give him rest, some days off,” Maresca said.
The City manager said the issue extended beyond Haaland, with several regulars carrying heavy workloads for club and country.
“We are thinking about this not just with Erling because we have players, unfortunately or fortunately, they are playing all the games with us and all the games with the international teams. Elliot [Anderson], Enzo [Fernandez], Marc [Guehi], Erling, Ruben [Dias]. So at some point we probably need to give them some rest.”
Maresca has not decided whether Haaland will start against Ipswich, but expects the striker to remain influential whenever he plays. Phil Foden is also available again after serving a suspension following his red card against Manchester United.
City’s domestic form has been outstanding, with six wins from six Premier League matches leaving them top of the table. But their campaign has been overshadowed by an independent commission’s finding that the club breached financial regulations. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict.
Maresca says the controversy has brought the club closer together. The supporters’ inflatable bananas at Anfield, where City beat Liverpool 3-0 in their first league match after the verdict, have become a visible symbol of that unity. The gesture revives a tradition associated with the club’s fans in the 1980s and 1990s.
“Very nice! I hope to see many bananas in the stadium. I didn’t know the history behind the banana,” Maresca said. “It creates a nice environment for the fans and for everyone that is in the stadium.”
He revealed that his four children had asked for bananas and would be attending the match.
“I have four kids. They already asked me, but they’re going to be at the stadium and we’ll see,” he said.
Maresca also described his trust in Manchester City’s leadership and said he had no interest in seeking outside opinions about the case.
“The club have explained the situation to me clearly and I trust the club 100 per cent, I trust the people that run the club and this is the reason why I took the job,” he said.
He added that the team’s response must come on the pitch, with the Ipswich match offering a chance to extend their perfect league start while managing the workload of key players.
Maresca has made clear that rotation is now part of the plan. With domestic and European fixtures arriving in quick succession, City must balance the pursuit of results with keeping their most heavily used players fresh.