Yaya Toure capped his return to the Manchester City fold as he and new signing Gabriel Jesus were included in their squad for the Champions League knockout stages.
Toure was left out of City’s 25-man list for the group stages, sparking a row between boss Pep Guardiola and the Ivory Coast midfielder’s agent that led to him being frozen out of the side.
But since that dispute was resolved in November, Toure has reclaimed a place in the team and been in fine form, with his latest dominant display coming in City’s 4-0 win at West Ham on Wednesday.
Toure’s inclusion in the Champions League squad comes as no surprise, with fellow midfielder Ilkay Gundogan likely to miss the rest of the season through injury.
Recent signing Jesus, who scored his first league goal since his move from Palmeiras in the West Ham win, comes into the European squad in place of Kelechi Iheanacho.
“I’m very happy for the goal, very happy for the performance and especially for the win,” Jesus told City TV.
“This is the spirit I think we have to have and if we keep that spirit we will be able to achieve our goals.
“The reception from the club has been great, my team-mates are helping a lot and the process of adaptation is going great.
“I honestly thought it would be more difficult but thanks to my family, my friends and my team-mates it’s going really well.”
Having now been registered at the club for two years, Iheanacho can be removed from the main squad quota but remain eligible as a player named on the “B” list.
City face Monaco in the Champions League last 16 as they aim to win the competition for the first time.
AFP
