Manager Manuel Pellegrini has stressed Yaya Toure's importance to Manchester City.

Toure has been an integral part of the City side which has gone on to become a force in the Premier League over the last few years.

Now 32, the Ivory Coast great is perhaps no longer the player he once used to be but Pellegrini has reiterated the fact that the former Barcelona midfielder remains a key man for his side.

Pellegrini said: "I think that he's still an important player. Maybe we are all still thinking about the season when he scored 20 goals two seasons ago. It's not normal for a midfielder to do it every game but what's important with Yaya is his attitude.

"Against Borussia Monchengladbach, he'd had a calf injury, had only worked one day but he came in and played the 90 minutes and did so again [against Swansea]. He's a good player and a leader for us.

"Yaya is a winner. He always tries to win, he always tries to attack. Maybe he receives a lot of criticism when he doesn't come back with the players that we need, but he's a leader in our team.

"He's a player that everyone knows can make a difference at any moment. When Swansea drew level, he was the player that the team went to immediately and that's why I'm so happy for him to score that important goal."