Man City boss Pep Guardiola says that City have missed skipper Vincent Kompany over the course of the last couple of seasons.

The Belgian defender has consistently struggled with injuries for past two seasons and has managed just 22 league appearances. However, he has finally recovered from his injury issues and has been an integral part of City's defence since April.

Guardiola said: "I am pretty sure [former manager] Manuel Pellegrini missed him a lot last season. We missed him a lot.

"He is a real central defender. I have said many times [of] a central defender, how many duels do you win with the strikers? More than the [opponent], you are a central defender. He wins a lot. No doubt about that.

"You have the feeling when an opponent crosses the ball, 'Is Vinny there?'

"That feeling - especially in the league, when there are a lot of long balls and for the referees it has to be a really important thing to make a foul - is important.

"It is important in duels to have people who win the headers. Vincent in that is really good. And on Saturday we discovered maybe he can play as a striker. He made not a bad goal."