Manuel Pellegrini sprung a surprise by selecting Michail Antonio in his starting eleven to take on Manchester City at London Stadium and they were beaten 5-0 by a rampant visiting side.
Arthur Masuaku was nowhere to be seen on the teamsheet as Aaron Cresswell started at left back and also captained the team in the absence of Mark Noble.
Cresswell and Masuaku were battling for the left back spot and the Englishman had the early advantage as he got a full pre-season under his belt whereas Masuaku missed the first half of the summer thanks to his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations with DR Congo.
Masuaku. who signed a five-year contract extension earlier this summer, featured off the bench in the final three friendlies but Cresswell was handed the start in each of them and even then, he missed the first one of the summer through injury.
Football.London understands that Masuaku is not injured and was simply not selected for the matchday squad for the Premier League opener against City.
Pellegrini went with Roberto, Pablo Zableta, Robert Sndgrass, Javier Hernandez, Pablo Fornals and Angelo Ogbonna on his bench for the first game of the season against the two-time defending Premier League champions.
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