Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany OUT of West Ham clash confirms Manuel

“I think it is important to carry on playing with the same names but I always say we have a squad. We have a squad and we need to replace the captain”, Pellegrini said.

“Maybe Otamendi hasn’t worked with us as much as we would have liked but he’s an experienced player and will have his chance”, the manager said.

“Fortunately he did not have any problems and I hope he will be fit for Saturday”.

That defensive performance has been key to City racking up five consecutive wins and leading the standings by four points.

“We have other leaders in the team, others who can assume the role of captain and lead the team”. The visit of West Ham is set to be his first taste of Premier League action.

The Argentina striker, forced off during the first half of last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, was initially ruled out of the Juventus game, only to appear for the last seven minutes as a substitute.

On Aguero, Pellegrini said: “He has recovered very well, he is 100 per cent”.

Pellegrini suggested that Kompany’s absence could mean a debut for Nicolas Otamendi, the defender signed from Valencia last month.

Manchester City will play Juventus in a Group D Champions League soccer match on Tuesday.

The loss of Kompany could be significant after his outstanding performances so far this season.

At just over B#10million, the Frenchman looks to be one of the bargains of the summer already, but Bilic is not surprised how quickly the 28-year-old has settled. “I know Payet had a lot of assists past year and that he’s a really good player so he will be a threat, especially in his current form”.

West Ham have enjoyed an interesting start to the season; sitting in fifth place, the Hammers have beaten Arsenal and Liverpool on the road already in the campaign, but have suffered defeats to Leicester and Bournemouth, both in front of their own fans. “They give another option to our squad”. It’s not only up to us.