Sergio Gomez has Pep Guardiola chance he thought might not come at Man City

Kyle Walker's injury and subsequent surgery will have rocked Pep Guardiola's plans.

At Manchester City the depth of talent is huge, yet Guardiola manages to make sure that somehow all of the members of his squad are satisfied with the minutes they receive. That does not mean to say that City don't have a tight-knit group of first team regulars they can depend on.

Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, Walker has established himself as one of those who is a key asset of Guardiola's first choice back line with his style of play, alongside Joao Cancelo on the opposite flank, a big part of how the Blues attack. Before the Manchester derby, Guardiola had already raised concerns regarding injuries, how they could hamper his team and make life more difficult.

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Sadly for City, those comments foreshadowed a disaster in the shape of Walker's demise with injury. Coming just five minutes before half time, the substitution was almost missed in the flurry of ecstasy which preceded it. Only now, four days after the fact, can Guardiola rue the bad luck that has befallen Walker.

However, as one door closes another opens. And, as ruthless as it may sound, Sergio Gomez is excellently positioned to benefit from Walker's absence. The 22-year-old arrived from Anderlecht in the summer and was given the unenviable task of dislodging Walker and Cancelo.

Gomez has so far made six appearances for the Blues and in his two most recent appearances he has grabbed three assists against Manchester United and FC Copenhagen. In the little we have seen of him, you can already see why Guardiola was keen to add him to this team.

He offers similar traits to the two established stars of this City side and