Fabian Delph has been left sidelined by Pep Guardiola despite returning from injury.
The England international has not made a Premier League start since his sending off against Leicester in December.
He has only made two appearances in 2019 – a 10-minute cameo against Huddersfield and in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Burton, which City already led 9-0.
He has recently been out with a muscle injury, but despite Guardiola being without the injured Fernandinho and Benjamin Mendy’s ongoing fitness concerns, the City manager has ruled Delph out of his squad for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth.
“He was injured, but made the training session (today),” said the City manager. “He can play, but he’s not in the squad.”
It is not clear if Delph’s ongoing absence is related to his costly red against Leicester – a game that City went on to lose 2-1.
But he has slipped down the pecking order, with Aleks Zinchenko now ahead of him as Guardiola’s preferred option at left-back.
Delph, who has a year left on his contract after this season, will face further competition for action in the summer, with Guardiola planning to bring in a left-back and holding midfielder.
