Pep Guardiola will give Eliaquim Mangala the chance to prove he has a long-term future at Manchester City.
The much-maligned defender, who spent last season on loan at Valencia, seemed set leave to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer as City tried to sign West Brom's
Neither eventuality occurred and Mangala, who struggled to make an impact after his £42million move to City in 2014, was restored to the first-team squad.
Now with John Stones out injured and captain Vincent Kompany unlikely to play every one of City's 11 fixtures over the next five weeks, 26-year-old Mangala is set to feature.