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Kenya striker John Avire has reportedly moved clubs in Egypt after signing for Aswan SC.

The forward, who left another Egyptian side Tanta SC last October and has been unattached, has been unveiled by the club, who features in the Egyptian Premier League side based in Aswan city.

But despite the latest development, Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa has maintained they are not aware of the transfer.

“I don’t know if John [Avire] has moved clubs in Egypt, you are the one just telling me about the transfer, I don’t know anything, allow me to find out then I will get back with a proper answer,” Kalekwa told Goal when asked whether he was aware Avire had moved to Aswan.

Sofapaka have insisted that Avire still belongs to them and they have even said he will have to honour the one and a half year contract which he wasted while playing for Tanta.

The Harambee Stars striker left Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Batoto ba Mungu under unclear circumstances to sign for Egyptian club Tanta SC last year, a move the former immediately contested and even filed a case with Fifa.

In a recent interview, Kalekwa told Goal: “Our battle to have John [Avire] play for us is still on, it is a must whether he likes it or not we get justice, in fact, this is the right time because his contract with Sofapaka is now coming to an end.

“He doesn’t have a contract with any team, he has a contract with Sofapaka, he has absconded duty for one and half years now, the contract he had with Sofapaka will end in December, but he has not been on duty for one year and a half.

“Avire must come back, he should plan and return home, to play and see through his contract, there is no short cut about this, I think he knows this very well, and even his agent [if he has one], understands the same, without that, whoever signs him from December, then they will have to pay Sofapaka a transfer fee.”

Avire, who made two appearances for Harambee Stars in the 2019 Afcon finals held in Egypt, was at the centre of a transfer tussle involving his parent club Sofapaka and former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Secretary-General Robert Muthomi.

Sofapaka accused Muthomi of allegedly engineering the striker's move to North Africa without their consent, a move that prompted him to step aside.

Avire’s new club Aswan currently plays in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest league in the Egyptian football league system. Aswan was founded on January 1, 1930, and it's the biggest team in town, and its opponent is Al Nasr Lel Taa'den SC.

The team first appeared in the Premier League in the 1990–91 season, while the last season was in 2016–17 and the longest spell the team spent in the Premier league was for only three consecutive seasons (from 1996–97 to 1998–99).

Kaizer Chiefs' gutsy 1-0 win over PWD Bamenda in a Caf Champions League preliminary round first-leg tie on Sunday afternoon in Limbe was especially pleasing to head coach Gavin Hunt.

In what was Amakhosi's ninth match in all competitions this season, it was just their third win.

It came at a time when the pressure had been rising after some especially disappointing results, including a shock loss to Swallows FC a few days before, not to mention a 5-0 aggregate drubbing at the hands of Orlando Pirates in the two-legged MTN8 semi-finals.

Sunday's win against PWD Bamenda also came against the backdrop of Amakhosi stepping into the unknown against a team about which very little was known. Victory was secured via an Eric Mathoho goal seven minutes from time, as well as a late penalty save by Itumeleng Khune.

Hunt was proud of his charges for the character they showed in West Africa.

"Under very trying circumstances, I thought it was an unbelievable win," he said. "I mean the travel to get to this game was unbelievable. Everything around the game was very difficult, so I thought it was a fantastic effort.

"We could have made the game safer, we had a lot of opportunities from which we didn't score, and I thought 'here we go again'," said Hunt, alluding to some of the misfortunes which his side have suffered so far this season."

There has for many years been talk of how difficult it is for South African teams playing away from home on the continent; that match officials tend to favour the home side.

The former SuperSport United and Bidvest coach alluded to this - which he believes was the case with the late penalty his side conceded - though he was careful with his words not to say so directly.

In fact he believes that it was a blessing in disguise that Chiefs' goal came so late - because that gave the home side less time to come back.

"But we got the goal, and we knew there were going to be problems after that, luckily we scored the goal nice and late.

"It should never have been a penalty, should it?" he questioned. "But I said to the players, once we score there's going to be problems. And ja, so we got a little bit of just reward."

The return match takes place at the FNB Stadium on Friday evening.

Zico has claimed that Diego Maradona's first 'Hand of God' was scored in Italy, and that he was suspended for four games for protesting the referee's decision to give a goal.

Football legends of both the past and present have been paying tribute to Maradona following his passing at the age of 60 last Wednesday.

The former Argentina midfielder, who is widely regarded as the finest player of all time, died at his home in Buenos Aires after suffering a heart attack.

Pele, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and more have paid homage to the World Cup winner, while members of England's 1986 squad have relived their famous clash with La Albiceleste at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Peter Shilton, Gary Lineker and Glenn Hoddle were among those powerless to stop Maradona inspiring Argentina to a 2-1 quarter-final victory over the Three Lions, but his first effort in the contest was arguably the most controversial goal in football history.

The ex-Napoli and Barcelona superstar got away with punching the ball over Shilton to open the scoring, before showing off the more brilliant side of his game by scoring a superb solo goal after picking the ball up in his own half.

Zico claims Maradona also escaped punishment for handling the ball in the net two years earlier for Napoli against Udinese, and he ended up being shown a red card for sarcastically applauding the referee after the goal was given.

“It was 1984, I had just arrived in Udine. I didn’t play in Naples and he scored a brace," the Brazil great told Gazzetta Dello Sport. “We were 2-1 up but Diego scored the equaliser. The game was almost finished when they hit the crossbar and Diego anticipated our goalkeeper scoring with his hand.

“The ref and his assistant didn’t notice it. I was furious, I run behind the referee and I told him: ‘Congratulations, continue like this, you are doing well.’ I was sent off and suspended for four games.

“I often joked with him about his goal, I used to tell him: ‘You trained the Hand of God with us.’ He said: ‘You are the good part of football, I am the bad one.’"

Asked where he ranks Maradona in football's hall of fame, Zico added: “Maradona is among the best five players I’ve ever seen: Garrincha, Pele, Diego, Cruijff and Beckenbauer.” 

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has promised club fans they will play entertaining football when the 2020-21 Ugandan Premier League (UPL) season kicks-off on December 3.

According to Kaziba, the Jogoos, who are the record winners of the Uganda league with 16 titles, have bonded well and trained enough.

“The club’s target this season is to entertain and win with style,” Kaziba said as quoted by the club’s official website. “We finished third last season, an improvement from the previous season, and as a progressive club, we must aim higher this season, we are Sports Club Villa.”

On the club’s new signings, Kaziba said: “We have added in some young talented players whom we think will easily grasp the technical team’s tactics so that together we can propel the club to the highest level.

“They are blending in very well and fast although it takes time to catch up with the playing style of the team. We cannot wait to unleash what we have been working on in the pre-season.”

Kaziba, however, admitted some of his key players are down with injuries including left-back Derrick Ndahiro but remained confident of a good start in this campaign.

Villa will begin their campaign by visiting top-six rivals BUL FC on Friday, December 4, 2020, at 4:30. It will be the first time Villa face BUL on the opening day since their promotion to the Uganda Premier League.

Villa’s first home game of 2020/21 will be against Mbarara City FC while the first Kampala Derby of the new season will take place in mid-December when Villa host KCCA 11 days later, after visiting URA FC on December 12, 2020.

In the closing game of the first round of the 2020/21 campaign, the Jogoos will be hosted by Bright Stars FC on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

Meanwhile, defending champions Vipers SC will open their 2020/21 campaign at home to newcomers Myda FC according to the draft fixtures.

The new season's tentative date for kick-off remains Thursday, December 3. Thirteen-time league champions KCCA FC, who lost last season’s title to Vipers, will be in action away to Soltilo Bright Stars in the day’s only other game.

However, the venue for the KCCA-Bright Stars game is yet to be confirmed as the latter need to confirm their home ground.

Simba SC coach Sven Vandenbroeck has insisted they have not finished their job yet after managing to secure a vital 1-0 away win in the Caf Champions League against Plateau United on Sunday.

Clatous Chama scored the only goal of the game for the visiting Tanzanian giants 10 minutes into the second half and they held on to beat their Nigerian counterparts in the preliminary match, first leg contest staged at the New Jos Stadium, in Abuja.

It was a fine start for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi, who have made it clear they want to reach the semi-finals of the competition this term, but their Belgian tactician has warned the job is half done and they must be ready to complete the job when the two sides clash in the return leg at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, in Dar es Salaam on December 5.

“It was a tough game, against a very strong opponent who tried all tricks technically to find a goal but I congratulate my players because all 90 minutes were running to prevent them from scoring,” Vandenbroeck is quoted by the club’s social media after the match.

“I think we need to be very happy with the victory, it is a very great result [considering we won away from home] but we still haven't finished the job yet, because next week we have 90 minutes.”

As the Nigerian champions, Plateau came into the match with high hopes of profiting from home advantage against the visitors, who appeared in this year's competition as Tanzania's kings.

The Peace Boys made a fine start against Simba and almost got an early lead through Dennis Nya but goalkeeper Aishi Manila halted the attempt in the fourth minute.

Three minutes later, the visitors won a free-kick on the edge of the box when Isah Ndala brought down Aishi Manila but John Bocco headed the resulting effort from Mohamed Hussein wide.

The hosts continued to threaten Vandenbroeck’s side's defence but goalkeeper Manila stopped Oche Ochewechi's shot in the 13th minute before punching Nda's header away seconds later.

After the break, Plateau coach Abdul Maikaba brought on Ovoke Benard as a replacement for Saheed Jibrin as the hosts aimed to make the best of their promising attacks after a wasteful first half.

Against the run of play, Chama broke the deadlock for Simba, with a rebound after Plateau goalkeeper Adamu Abubakar parried Miquissone's effort into his path in the 54th minute.

Simba will now need a draw of any kind in the return leg to advance to the next stage of the competition.

Kerala Blasters had to be satisfied with a point against Chennaiyin FC on Sunday in a game that promised to deliver end-to-end football at the start but ended as a goalless stalemate. 

After four halves without a shot on target from open play, Blasters looked like an improved team for long period of Sunday's Indian Super League (ISL) game. However, Kibu Vicuna still has some areas that need to be addressed. 

From the first round of games, Chennaiyin looked the fittest team in the ISL and arguably showcased the best football on the field when they took on Jamshedpur. They were off to a quick start following kick-off in their first game and the same pattern was repeated. 

Blasters survived early onslaught

Chennaiyin were off the blocks in no time. They raided the area in and around Kerala's box and someone who watched the first few minutes of the game and left for reasons only known to them, would have to be forgiven for predicting a high-scoring final result. 

It was Kerala fans' "Ah, heck, here we go again' meme moment. But after the initial push, Blasters slowly came into the game and started bossing the midfield.

Rohit Kumar did reasonably well in midfield alongside Sergio Cidoncha who was once again involved in most of the attacks that Blasters initiated from the centre. 

In the absence of Vicente Gomez, who was not fit to be involved against Chennaiyin, and Sahal Abdul Samad, Cidoncha had to make stuff happen from a deeper role. Facundo Pereyra looked a bit rusty on his debut and Nongdamba Naorem has not been able to offer more than glimpses of his brilliant footwork here and there.

Lonely Gary 

This once again meant that Gary Hooper was left isolated and without service up front for most of the match. He did manage to complete 14 passes (more than both Chennaiyin strikers who took the field) but couldn't convert that into chances or goals. 

After the match, Kibu said, "We expect goals from Gary. He needs time also to play with the team, to know the team. To know his teammates and for sure Gary is going to have a good season." He will also be hoping the gap between the midfield and attack can be filled without sacrificing stability during transitions. 

Cidoncha completed more passes than anybody else on the pitch - he is turning out to be a key player in Vicuna's system. But without support from the right or the left, he sometimes ended up trying to do too much.

On one such occasion, he lost the ball and allowed Chennaiyin to counter. A hasty attempt at stopping the shot at the end of that counter-attack resulted in the Spaniard fouling Rafael Crivellaro and conceding a penalty. 

From Zero to Hero? 

Chennaiyin had two shots on target compared to Blasters' one. Albino Gomes, who had more than one nervy moment in the first half, pulled off a very good save to his left to deny Jakub Sylvestr from the spot.

The Goan custodian still doesn't look entirely convincing in goal but compared to last season's goalkeeping woes, the situation is comparatively better.

It must be added that the defence once again did well as Costa Nhamaoinesu and Bakary Kone continued to remain a trusted wall in front of Gomes.

Key player crocked  

Overall, there is a lot of work still to be done for Vicuna but there are enough positive signs to believe that they are on the right track.

Blasters are the first team to finish three games this season and maintaining the players' fitness will be the biggest challenge for the former Mohun Bagan coach in the weeks to come.

Sergio Cidoncha is the latest player to pick up a knock - an ankle twist - and it is imperative that last season's injury-hit scenario doesn't occur again. 

Mikel Arteta is determined to rouse Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from his scoring slump after the Arsenal captain continued to fire blanks in the Premier League defeat to Wolves.

Arsenal head coach Arteta said Aubameyang's form is his "biggest concern", pointing to how important the Gabon international's goals have been to the Gunners, who lost 2-1 at home to Wolves on Sunday .

Aubameyang took five shots and had nine touches in the opposition penalty area against Wolves – both personal highs for the season – but only one of those shots was on target.

The 31-year-old has not scored in open play in the Premier League since Arsenal began their campaign by easing past Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage in September.

Aubameyang's penalty allowed Arsenal to beat Manchester United at the start of November, but the familiar dependable flow of goals from the former Borussia Dortmund star has been stemmed this season.

Asked if he was worried, Arteta said: "I think we all are because the main goalscorer of the club at the moment isn't scoring goals, so my biggest concern is how to help him more to score goals because we need his goals.

"How important Auba has been for this club in the last two years and how the goal sheet has been shared among the squad tells you his importance.

"He needs to be scoring goals if we want to be successful."

Aubameyang scored 22 of Arsenal's 73 goals in the 2018-19 season as they finished fifth in the Premier League, then fired another 22 from a meagre 56 Gunners goals as they trailed home eighth last term.

Arteta will want goals to come from all areas of his team, but the reality is that they have been reliant on Aubameyang's consistency in recent seasons, and with his input declining the team are struggling.

Arsenal sit 14th in the Premier League with 13 points from 10 games, having lost three successive home games in the competition, and are eight points behind the leaders, who happen to be their north London rivals Tottenham.

The points tally is their lowest from the first 10 games of a campaign since a slow start in 1981 , when Arsenal mustered a mere 12 points from their opening 11 matches before winning six in a row.

Arsenal travel to Tottenham on Sunday, and to get the better of Jose Mourinho's side they may need Aubameyang to rediscover his shooting prowess.

If Arsenal need any reminder of how a line-leading striker can perform for his team, they need look no further than Tottenham's Harry Kane, whose league-high 16 goal involvements (seven goals, nine assists) have helped Spurs edge ahead of champions Liverpool on goal difference at the summit.

Aubameyang's two goals and one assist is a meagre return, given he has started every game, with his minutes-per-goal average declining from one every 142.64 last season to a dismal one every 448.5 this term.

Tottenham's Son Heung-min, who has netted nine times in the Premier League this term, has got those at one every 91.22 minutes, with Kane not far behind with a goal every 127.71 minutes.

With an off-key Aubameyang, it could make for a grim derby day for Arteta.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne said Diego Maradona's death hurts as the city suffers after the Serie A side donned Argentina-style shirts to honour the club great in their 4-0 rout of rivals Roma.

Maradona – arguably football's greatest ever player who led Napoli to their only Scudetto honours in 1987 and 1990 – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

After beating Rijeka in the Europa League on Thursday, Napoli played their first Serie A match since Maradona's passing on Sunday and it was an emotional occasion at the Stadio San Paolo.

Napoli sported a Maradona-themed jersey, which consisted of light blue and white stripes instead of the iconic all-blue shirt and it proved an inspirational strip as the Partenopei equalled their largest margin of victory against Roma in Serie A, having also routed the capital club 4-0 in 1980 and 1971.

Insigne – born and bred in Naples – opened the scoring with a free-kick on the half-hour mark before reaching for a Maradona shirt and kissing it as he celebrated.

Fabian Ruiz, Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer Dries Mertens and Matteo Politano were also on target.

"The atmosphere certainly gave us extra motivation, as we wanted to pay homage to our idol," Insigne, the only player since 2012-13 to score at least one goal and assist at least one in each of the past nine seasons, told Sky Sport Italia.

"It hurts and we cared more than ever tonight to put in a great performance for him and the city that is suffering."

Napoli moved up to fifth position in Serie A, six points adrift of unbeaten leaders AC Milan.

Gennaro Gattuso also earned his 50th career victory as a head coach in the Italian top flight, while becoming the first Napoli boss to win his first two Serie A encounters against Roma.

"There is a sense of sadness, but at this moment I think the city must also show common sense," Gattuso said. "I am seeing too many people going around without their masks.

"Maradona is a legend, everyone knows that, and I understand the desire to express that affection, but I hope from tomorrow the city will get back to being sensible, or we'll all pay the consequences later."

Roy Keane believes the Arsenal are being hindered by having inadequate players who are "too soft" after they were defeated 2-1 by Wolves at home.

Pedro Neto gave Wolves the lead 27 minutes into the clash in north London, only for Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes to pull his side level shortly afterwards.

But Daniel Podence dealt the crucial blow shortly before half-time when he knocked past Bernd Leno, which proved to be enough to seal the three points for Nuno Espirito Santo's team.

While Gunners coach Mikel Arteta admitted it was a "really bad result" as his side suffered a fifth loss in 10 matches in the Premier League this season, he said his side had a "great reaction" in the second half and was pleased with the "desire" on display.

Keane, however, did not see as many positives from the home side's performance and he believes the Spanish manager should be more concerned with his team.

"I think a lot of the players aren't good enough, I think there's a softness there," the former Manchester United midfielder said on Sky Sports .

"A few weeks ago all the cheerleaders were out when they had a decent performance at United. They've had one point since then, lost the other two games.

"I think they look soft. They're probably lacking a bit of confidence. I didn’t see that real fight that the manager was talking about. I didn’t see that desire and determination to get a result.

“You can have an off-night of course, but you still find a way to get a result.

“At this moment in time I don’t see it with this group of players. I think they look a bit soft.”

Arsenal's next match is against Rapid Wien in the Europa League and return to domestic action with a clash with fierce rivals Tottenham, who are top of the table.

Keane believes it may be the right time to come up against Jose Mourinho's team as expectations will be low.  

"They all seem big at the moment, don't they? Maybe that might be the best game for them to have next week, a derby with no supporters there," he said.

"Going away, maybe less pressure than at home. They'll have enough to stay up, I think. They'll be strong enough to stay in the division."

Edinson Cavani may be the subject of an investigation from the Football Association after allegedly using a racially offensive term in a social media post.

The Manchester United striker came off the bench to fire his side to a 3-2 win against Southampton on Sunday.

The Red Devils were 2-0 down when the Uruguay international came off the bench for the second half and set up Bruno Fernandes to pull one back before heading in two of his own to seal the three points deep in stoppage time.

The 33-year-old shared some of the positive messages he received from fans in the wake of the victory and responded to one post with the message "Gracias n******".

Cavani has since deleted the post.

The term Cavani used is the same Uruguay co-star Luis Suarez is said to have used during his altercation with Patrice Evra in October 2011, which resulted in the former Liverpool star being fined £40,000 and banned for eight matches.

The FA and United have not commented on the issue as of yet.

Cavani joined the Old Trafford side in a free transfer in October and has scored three goals in five substitute appearances in the Premier League.

Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was full of praise for the striker after his impact in Sunday's game and has been impressed by his movement off the ball. 

“He is one of the best because of his experience and qualities, that movement," Solskjaer said.

"He is one of the best movers you can see. He can peel off the shoulder, he can get in front of you, he can pin you.

"He wants to be in between the two posts, which I love. I love a centre-forward who gets in there. It might hurt sometimes but, when you’re there and you get the ball there, you've gambled and the ball’s been delivered, it's a goal. Two goals!”

United captain Harry Maguire went as far as to hail him as an example for other strikers.

"He has been without a club for a few months so he is coming in and catching up. He is a great professional, he is great to have around the place, he is great in the dressing room and I think you saw today what he brings to the club," he said.

"His movement when the ball is wide is to a level that not many strikers can reach. He is always on the move, always getting across people and that’s why he has always scored goals. So if there are any strikers out here wanting to learn and watch, I am sure they are studying his movement and what he has done in his career."

Mikel Arteta says David Luiz was substituted at half-time in Arsenal's Premier League match against Wolves because he felt "uncomfortable" following a head collision with Raul Jimenez.

The Arsenal centre-back was left bleeding and required a bandage after he clashed heads with the striker as they challenged for a cross in the Wolves box.

Jimenez had to be stretchered off the field as a result of the injury, having been knocked unconscious, but Luiz was able to keep playing.

Arteta opted to substitute the 33-year-old during the break, however, with Rob Holding called on to take his place in the Gunners' defence.

The home side's manager says Luiz was cleared to stay on by the team doctor, but admits the player was worried by the end of the half.

"I was shocked [at the collision] because I saw the reaction of the players," he told BBC Sport. "They were asking the doctors. We knew David Luiz was OK, it was just a cut. Raul Jimenez looked pretty bad.

"The doctor did all the tests and protocols to make sure the player [Luiz] was safe to continue. David was just worried about his cut, he never lost consciousness. He couldn't really head the ball, he was uncomfortable - nothing else - so we took him off."

Wolves went on to win the match 2-1, leaving Arsenal with just one point from their last three Premier League matches. 

"They had two shots on target in the first half and scored twice," Arteta said when asked about his side's performance.

"The team showed a real resilience, togetherness and belief to try to win in the second half. We generated the chances but didn't score.

"We need more goals to win football matches. We need to keep supporting the players. All players go through [tough] periods. We're creating chances but struggling to score goals. That's the difference between winning and losing.

"When you lose matches the confidence goes down because they believe things can happen again. You need to win after a defeat. We've been doing this in my time here. This is the first time since we've been here [that they've had a losing run]."

Next week Arsenal take on north London rivals Tottenham, who are top of the table after drawing 0-0 with Chelsea on Sunday.

"It would be great [to bounce back against Spurs]," Arteta added. "There's not a bigger motivation than for us to go to Spurs and try to beat them."

Mikel Arteta has revealed that Thomas Partey’s injury is more serious than Arsenal first feared and says it will be a ‘few games’ before the Ghana international returns.

Partey has not featured for there Gunners since he was replaced at half-time of the 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa on November 8.

Initially, it was believed the £45 million deadline day addition from Atletico Madrid would not be sidelined for too long with what was described as a thigh problem, but he has now sat out Arsenal’s last three matches.

And, speaking after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Wolves, Arteta could not confirm when the midfielder would be ready to return.

"I don’t think he will be with us in the next few games," said the Gunners boss. "We have been missing a lot of players. We have many, many different issues, but I don’t like to use that excuse.

"At the end of the day, we are all the time really close to winning football matches and we end up losing it in the last few games.

"This is only in our hands with the players that we have. It is what we have to do. We cannot change that. It is in our hands."

When asked whether Partey’s issue was more serious than first thought, Arteta added: "Yes."

Arsenal host Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday night before travelling to Tottenham next Sunday for the first north London derby of the season.

They then have Premier League games against Burnley, Southampton and Everton before Christmas, as well as a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester City.

The defeat against Wolves left Arteta’s side 14th in the table with just 13 points from their first 10 league games - their lowest points tally ever at this stage of a Premier League season.

They have scored just 10 goals in the league and could will fall 11 point behind leaders Spurs, should they lose to their neighbours next weekend.

Arteta insists, however, is not worrying about his job, despite his side’s alarming run of form.

"The day I decided to be a coach I know that one day I will be sacked or leave the football club," he said. "I don’t know if it’s the day after I sign my contact, in a month’s time, a year’s time or six months’ time. I never worry about it.

"My only concern is to get the best out of the players, give the best possible service to the club and become better and better.

"I know, I repeat, in this profession, one day I will get the sack or leave but I don't know when that is going to happen."

Pep Guardiola says John Stones will get every opportunity at Manchester City if he continues to impress after the defender bounced back to top form.

The City boss brought in new centre-backs Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake at a cost of £102 million ($132m) in the summer to sort out the defensive problems that impacted their last campaign.

With Aymeric Laporte already at the club, Stones appeared to face an uncertain future after falling behind wantaway defender Eric Garcia and midfielder Fernandinho in the pecking order at the end of last season.

But the England international has impressed when starting City’s last two matches against Olympiacos and Burnley, which they won without conceding.

Stones also had problems with injuries last season but Guardiola said the new arrivals do not mean he cannot compete for a regular starting place.

"He played two already," Guardiola said. "The previous season it was difficult to feel it - sometimes for my decisions but most of the time because of injuries.

"It's good again because he was so concentrated and didn't make any mistakes. What we are looking for from the back four is to not make mistakes."

Asked about Stones’ reaction to extra competition, the City boss added: “It's not too complicated to understand. I see the performance and the levels, and the guys that help the team and help me have more chance to play.

“The other ones have to wait for the opportunity and they have to fight and wait for their moment and, when they have the moment, do it as well as possible.

“This business it works in this way, not any other way. What happened one week ago or today for example is past. Now you have to do it in the game in Portugal.”

City travel to Portugal on Tuesday to face Porto aiming to secure top spot in their Champions League group having already qualified for the knockout stages.

Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker were left behind for last week's win over Olympiacos but came straight back into the side that beat Burnley 5-0 on Saturday.

But Guardiola warned his players that they will be in for a surprise if they think being left out means they will be straight back into the team after a break.

“It's not about rest,” he said. “I saw Kevin a little bit exhausted mentally that's true. Right now I see the players who are in a better condition or more focused.

"If these players believe they are rested because I am rotating, they are making a big mistake.

“I put in every game the best players for many reasons. Sometimes the health of the team or not being injured, But especially the players who perform well.

“The youngest player that we have, Phil Foden, gets the same treatment and opportunities as Fernandinho, our most experienced player.

“It doesn't matter if you won more titles in the past or scored a lot of goals, you have to show it on the pitch. In the recent past, in the present and especially in the future."