Manchester City have one fit central defender to face Chelsea and Club Bruges this week, Pep Guardiola has admitted - so he may be forced to hand a debut to young centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov.

Ruben Dias has an abductor injury and Guardiola would not offer a timeframe on his absence, while Nathan Ake is still sidelined. John Stones returned in Paris after a lengthy absence but Guardiola's comments suggest he is not fully fit, leaving just Manu Akanji to hold City's back line together.

"The new players can help, but of course they're here because of the circumstances that we have," Guardiola said. "Tomorrow we have just one central defender. Well we have Khusanov, but for Bruges we have one or two available. That's why it's important to deal with the amount of games we have to have more squad."

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Expanding on the impact of the new signings, Guardiola backed striker Omar Marmoush to adapt quickly, while he expects Khusanov to play a role amid all of his defensive injuries.

The manager said: “[Marmoush brings] exceptional quality to the team. He’s a future player for years with quality in the final third. That’s why [we signed him].

"Omar yesterday was the first [training session], the others a little bit but not all together. Khusanov has already settled, for the fact that he is playing in the French league handles touch, quick, fast players. He doesn't speak much English, not French, communication will be a situation we have to deal with. Omar, yesterday was the first training session, I think he will adapt quick."

On fellow defender Vitor Reis, Guardiola urged caution and said the Brazilian needs time, having been signed for 'many years' rather than for an instant impact.

"Vitor is young, has a huge personality. He needs time," the boss said. "If he's here with us, of course he can start. We'll see. So the situation that we have in the back, I'm pretty sure they will have options soon.

"Maybe he'll need more time to adapt. We are in some positions all the season. We struggle, emergency. So, he's come for many years, not just for now.

"Of course for the young players, coming in the situation that we have in terms of mainly the results and injuries, it's not easy. It's better when you come up and everything is going well. But it's what it is and they will make us stronger. And I'm pretty sure that the club decided this prospective player for the future for many years."