Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala could be handed lifeline if club fail to sign new centre-back

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Eliaquim Mangala could be handed a lifeline at Manchester City if Pep Guardiola fails to sign a new centre-back before the transfer window closes.

The Frenchman has been a major disappointment since joining City in a £42million deal in 2014, and spent last season on loan at Valencia.

Mangala, 26, was set to join the defensive clear-out at the Etihad this summer after accepting that he was surplus to requirements under Guardiola.

Eliaquim Mangala may be set to stay at Manchester City as cover for the centre-back berths

Vincent Kompany is fit but Pep Guardiola may wish to seek reinforcements at the back

But with City running out of time to sign a fourth-choice centre-back to replace Aleksandar Kolarov, Mangala may yet earn a reprieve.

He has been training with the first-team group and could even be handed a place on the bench at Brighton on Saturday if the City boss decides to play a back-three of Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones.

It’s unlikely that City will consider bringing Jason Denayer back into the first-team fold, however. 

The Belgium centre-back rejected a loan move to Girona last month and has spent some training sessions working apart from the main group with Samir Nasri and Wilfried Bony. 

Mangala spent last season on loan at Valencia but he could be in line to stay at City this term