Aymeric Laporte looks set to line up for Manchester City against Arsenal after impressing on his first start of the season.
The Spanish defender is one of a number of players whose future at the club has been uncertain this summer, with a lack of funds from interested suitors looking like the principal reason that will see him stay at the Etihad beyond the closing of the transfer window.
Being forced to self-isolate, after somebody on a flight he was on tested positive for Covid-19, further disrupted Laporte's preparations for the campaign — meaning he was unable to travel with the squad to Wembley for the Community Shield and was only on the bench for the first Premier League match.
However, with John Stones not fit for the home game with Norwich, Pep Guardiola turned to Laporte alongside Ruben Dias and marvelled at what he saw at the back in the 5-0 win.
Having already praised Laporte's build-up as the best in the world for his position, the manager used a question about Raheem Sterling in his post-match interview to highlight how anyone who plays as the centre-back did in a game guarantees their selection going forward.
"It's just to be honest what I see on the pitch, in the training sessions, in the performance," Guardiola said about his decision process.
"I try to rotate the team but at the same time I try to decide...for example now Aymeric Laporte, the game he played today, he's going to play the next game.
"The guys who played good today are going to play the next game. It is what it is."
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