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After a dream start to his Manchester City career, Antoine Semenyo now has Manchester United in his sights
The Manchester derby is an occasion to stir the blood and tomorrow’s Premier League showdown at Old Trafford is dripping with sub-plots.
The clash will see Michael Carrick take charge of Manchester United in their first game since he replaced Darren Fletcher as interim manager.
In-form Antoine Semenyo, who recently joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in a £62.5million move, will aim to score at the Theatre of Dreams for the second time this season.
Here, DAZN News assesses the early impact of the former Bristol City winger ahead of the biggest game of his embryonic career with Pep Guardiola's side.
Semenyo’s route to the top
The 26-year-old was born and raised in London before being rejected by a long list of professional clubs, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Fulham.
He initially decided to give up on becoming a professional footballer before Dave Hockaday convinced him to join his youth academy programme at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
He ended up moving to nearby Bristol before being signed by Bristol City, where he made his debut on the final day of the 2017–18 season in a 3-2 home defeat to Sheffield United.
Semenyo also spent time on loan at Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland before being signed by Bournemouth for £10.5million in January 2023.
The Ghana international left Ashton Gate having claimed 21 goals and 21 assists in 125 games for the Robins.
Becoming a proven Premier League performer at Bournemouth
Semenyo’s ability to thrive at the highest level was not immediately evident after he signed for the Cherries.
He scored just one goal in 11 appearances following his move to the south coast in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.
But the following season, he established himself as a regular in Andoni Iraola’s side and began to attract admiring glances from far and wide.
Semenyo’s progress continued apace and last season he hit a career-best 11 Premier League goals.
That led to speculation he was set to join one of the so-called Top Six, and earlier this month Guardiola swooped to sign him.
Semenyo, a devout Christian, left Bournemouth having contributed 32 goals and 13 assists from 110 appearances in all competitions.
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Dream debut for City and already a crowd favourite
Semenyo scored and provided an assist in a memorable debut last Saturday when City hammered League One outfit Exeter City 10-1 at the Etihad in the FA Cup third round last Saturday.
If no-one was getting too carried away by his impressive bow, then his display in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Newcastle suggested Semenyo can be a key figure in Guardiola’s star-studded side.
City beat the Magpies 2-0 and Semenyo opened the scoring with a clinical strike before seeing another goal disallowed by VAR.
His contribution saw him lauded by the travelling City fans and maintained his recent outstanding form.
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Manchester United should be wary of Semenyo
His early impact at City has served as a continuation of his performances for Bournemouth in the weeks which preceded his move north to Manchester.
Semenyo scored a last-gasp winner in his final appearance for the Cherries in a 3-2 home victory over Tottenham earlier this month.
He said after City’s midweek success over Newcastle: “The whole environment here is perfect.
“Everyone is confident and wanting to achieve the best. I have come into that and they helped with my confidence and made me feel welcome.
“It has been a lot but I have enjoyed it so far. I am picking things up very quickly and enjoying it. I am playing with a smile on my face and enjoying every moment.”
United will be mindful of Semenyo’s influence heading into the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, where he scored for Bournemouth in a thrilling 4-4 draw one month ago.
Semenyo has scored six times in his last eight appearances for Bournemouth and City, suggesting he is close to the peak of his powers.
He needs just one more league goal to equal his previous best for a season, having scored 11 in 36 Premier League starts last term.
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