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| Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure controls the ball |
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.
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