Pep Guardiola offers Aymeric Laporte a way back into the Man City team

straight to your inboxJamie Carragher says Ruben Dias should become the seventh centre-back to be named PFA Player of the Year.The Manchester City defender has been a rock in defence since joining from Benfica in the summer, keeping eight clean sheets in his last nine Premier League matches to help Pep Guardiola's side to the top of the Premier League table.Dias has also formed a solid partnership with a rejuvenated John Stones and Carragher paid tribute to the way the former Everton defender

straight to your inboxAymeric Laporte insists he has happy at Manchester City but has hinted he might look to assess his future at the club if his playing time does not increase.Laporte has struggled with injury in different spells this season, while he also missed some games after isolating for Covid-19. Since being dropped after defeat at Tottenham, the Frenchman has struggled to disrupt the partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias as City have gone 19 games unbeaten in all competitions.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has named a strong Manchester City side to face Burnley, with Aymeric Laporte picked at left-back. After Manchester United earned a record-equalling win last night, they moved level on points with City at the top of the Premier League, albeit having played two games more.

straight to your inbox Pep Guardiola has explained why he allowed promising teenage centre back Taylor Harwood-Bellis to join Blackburn on loan. The Stockport -born defender, who turned 19 at the weekend, will join the promotion battle in the Championship after completing a move on Sunday, which will take him to the end of the season.

straight to your inboxSeeing – and hearing – Ruben Dias in action has Gareth Barry harking back to his early days in the Manchester City dressing room.The former Blues midfielder was brought to the club in 2010 as an experienced 28-year-old who had played at a high level for Aston Villa for ten years, playing nearly 450 games.But it was a 23-year-old Vincent Kompany who startled Barry, whose own experience was a key reason City stumped up a bargain £12million for the England international.Both

straight to your inboxGary Neville has warned Manchester City that Liverpool could ride a similar wave of momentum to themselves following back-to-back Premier League wins.Pep Guardiola's side have risen to the top of the table after a run of 12 matches unbeaten, including nine victories. City's defensive record has been impressive too, with John Stones and Ruben Dias forming a fantastic partnership at centre-back, which has seen only two goals conceded during that run.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola praised the fight of his Manchester City players as they defended as a unit to keep out Sheffield United. Ruben Dias led the defence superbly from the back to pick up another clean sheet that laid the platform for yet another Premier League victory for the Blues.

straight to your inboxManchester City could recall striker Gabriel Jesus to the starting line up to face Sheffield United.Jesus dropped out for City's win at West Brom this week as Pep Guardiola played a fluid formation without a recognisable striker or false nine.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has taken a swipe at the pundits who wrote off his Manchester City team’s title chances.The Blues were not even in the conversation when they dropped to 13 following defeat at Tottenham in November, and were again dismissed after draws against West Brom and Manchester United the following month had followed a climb up to sixth.Since then they have won seven Premier League games on the bounce, and 11 in all competitions, to take over top spot from United, reach

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola’s patience with his defence ran out in the defeat at Tottenham – and his axing of Aymeric Laporte has sent a powerful message to the rest of his squad.The Manchester City manager insisted this week that he has been delighted with the way his rearguard has reacted to last season’s traumas, buoyed by impressive new signing Ruben Dias and the revitalised John StonesAfter seeing his side rack up their 11th clean sheet from 19 Premier League games as they blitzed

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola has pinpointed the chemistry between Ruben Dias and John Stones, as well as their ability to cut out mistakes from last season, as the main reason behind their brilliant partnership at Manchester City.Guardiola was reflecting on City's season to date, with half of their fixtures completed in the Premier League. City are top of the table, recovering well from a poor start to go seventeen games unbeaten in all competitions.

straight to your inboxManchester City could go to the top of the Premier League with a win against West Brom on Tuesday, albeit temporarily, with rivals Manchester United in action on Wednesday.City will be without Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker for the trip to The Hawthorns this midweek, with Ruben Dias and John Stones set to start once again in the centre of City's defence.Bernardo Silva should drop into midfield alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri, whilst Phil

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola felt that Manchester City needed more quality in the final third as they trailed Cheltenham Town in the FA Cup. The Blues were staring at the biggest upset of the manager's five years at the club when Alfie May stabbed home from a Ben Tozer long throw on the hour-mark, leading to first-team regulars Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo all being brought off the bench for the closing moments.

straight to your inboxManchester City will be again without Sergio Aguero and Aymeric Laporte when they face Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow.But French defender Laporte - who has not played for the Blues since the Carabao Cup quarter-final win at Arsenal before Christmas - could be in line for a return to the side in the FA Cup fourth round tie at Cheltenham on Saturday.Pep Guardiola said that Aguero, who has been self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who tested

straight to your inboxJohn Stones has revealed how he revamped every aspect of his game in a bid to resurrect his Manchester City career.And the England defender says that his exciting new partnership with Ruben Dias has been the other key factor in his spectacular return to form.Stones scored twice in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, but more importantly, the clean sheet made it one goal against that pair in their last ten games together.Talk of Stones and Dias being one of the great Premier

straight to your inboxJohn Stones has opened up about his Manchester City transformation - and revealed how Micah Richards helped him.Stones has come in from the cold to form a blossoming central defensive partnership with Ruben Dias in Pep Guardiola's side. The pair kept another clean sheet as City beat Crystal Palace 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday night.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola may be refusing to look publicly beyond the next game but Manchester City are building a title challenge.A hard-fought 1-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday night was their fourth consecutive Premier League victory and lifted them into the top four for the first time this season; they sit a point behind Liverpool and four behind United but have a game in hand on the teams above them, who also play each other at the weekend.City's manager is insistent that the