Pep Guardiola says Fernandinho will be in contention to play at centre-back this season.
Vincent Kompany left the Etihad at the end of last season, with John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi and Aymeric Laporte our senior central defensive options.
New-signing Rodrigo impressed in his Premier League debut against West Ham at the base of Guardiola‘s midfield - a position in which Fernandinho has excelled - and the manager says the Brazil international will be used both in midfield and defence this season.
“Kompany is not here anymore and we didn’t buy a central defender,” he said ahead of City’s game against Tottenham on Saturday. “Fernandinho will play games, maybe more than we expect, as a central defender.”
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Asked about how he will use his midfield resources this season, Guardiola explained: “There are lots of games, everyone is going to play games.
“Fernandinho can play in that position without a problem, he knows everything about it.
“We need in some specific games another quality, maybe play Gundo or Rodrigo.”
Hear more from the manager in the video above...
