Two unlikely Man City stars have given Pep Guardiola a new selection dilemma

Two weeks ago you would have got pretty long odds on Gabriel Jesus and Oleks Zinchenko not only being starters for Manchester City against Real Madrid, but being key players in a thrilling Champions League semi-final win. And while the suspension of Joao Cancelo influenced the inclusion of Zinchenko, the fact is that both men made it very hard for Pep Guardiola to drop them for the second leg at the Bernabeu next week.

Both Zinchenko and Jesus have had their “exit door” moments at City, the Ukraine international looking odds-on to leave three or four years ago to join a lesser Premier League light, before digging in his heels and insisting that he had what it takes to make a valuable contribution at City.

Jesus’ uncertain moments are still ongoing, after reports emerged last week that he will be on the move in the summer, seeking to re-assert himself as a central striker and get more playing time ahead of Brazil’s World Cup campaign. The way he scored four times and created a fifth against Watford — and then terrorised the Real defence in his preferred position — might well persuade City they need to talk him into staying.

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Jesus had come to be recognised as a right winger this season, placing him in direct competition with Riyad Mahrez — perhaps City’s most influential player in the Champions League last season, and the top scorer in all competitions this season with 23 strikes. And that fact meant he was a distinct outside bet to start against Madrid, despite the fact Guardiola likes to pit his defensive work rate against top opposition. He played, and was man of the match, in both games against Real two years ago and also started both Premier League clashes