‘Very good at finishing’ – Enzo Maresca praises Floyd Samba after stunning Man City debut

Enzo Maresca has praised Floyd Samba after the Manchester City teenager marked his senior debut with two goals in a commanding 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich.

The 17-year-old forward scored in each half at the Etihad Stadium as City comfortably booked their place in the last 16, where they will face Brighton.

Samba was among 10 changes made by Maresca following Sunday’s dramatic Manchester derby victory over Manchester United, but the youngster quickly showed he could make an impact despite operating in an unfamiliar position.

City revealed that Samba had never played as a centre-forward before being handed the role by Maresca, who was impressed by his finishing and overall contribution.

“I asked him in the last three or four days when I decided to play him as a nine – I asked him if he had played (that role) and he said he had never played there before,” Maresca told the Manchester City website.

“He’s very good at finishing so I think it was a good game for him.”

Maresca, however, was quick to temper expectations around Samba, stressing the need to manage his development carefully despite the teenager’s impressive introduction to first-team football.

“He is a not a 9 for sure but he was good, he is young full of energy, he is strong, he can finish and he made some good decisions, some passes to team mates.”

“So I am happy, but again, they are young and we need to go slowly with them.”

Samba, the son of former Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers defender Chris Samba, gave City the lead when he stooped to head in Allan’s cross after Norwich goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw failed to deal with the delivery.

Rayan Cherki doubled the advantage after Ayyoub Bouaddi, making his first Etihad start following his €100 million move from Lille, sent him through on goal.

Cherki maintained his composure to race clear and guide the ball beyond Grimshaw as City took a comfortable lead into half-time.

Brazilian midfielder Allan then announced himself on his first appearance since completing a £34 million move from Palmeiras. The 48th-minute goal came after an impressive individual run, with Allan cutting inside before firing into the far corner.

Samba added his second shortly afterwards, capitalising on another defensive lapse from Norwich before curling a superb effort into the far corner.

Ryan McAidoo completed the rout late in the game, underlining the depth of young talent available to Maresca.

Norwich also made nine changes as they prioritised their Championship promotion campaign, leaving them unable to cope with a heavily rotated City side.

The emphatic victory also maintained Maresca’s perfect start since succeeding Pep Guardiola, with City now having won all six of their matches under the Italian across three competitions.

With the season still in its early stages, Maresca believes the opportunities will continue to come for City’s emerging players.

“We have different competitions. We have many games. We are just at the beginning of the season for sure the ones that played tonight during the season will play Premier League games and Champions League games as the season is so long.”

Samba was born on 15 January 2009 in Macclesfield, England. He is the son of the French-born Republic of the Congo international Christopher Samba and a German mother.