It is safe to say that Matheus Nunes has had a pleasingly quiet return to the Manchester City team.

The Portugal international was one of the better players during the slump in form in November and had an effective 85 minutes as an emergency left-back in the Manchester derby, only for disaster to strike. He gave the ball away in the final moments against United and compounded his error by giving a penalty away that eventually led to defeat.

Nunes was not seen in the next three matchday squads as the team picked up a draw and two victories to start their resurgence, but was used at right-back in the FA Cup against Salford City after Kyle Walker asked to leave the club. He gave an encouraging performance, and kept his place for the Premier League games with Brentford and Ipswich where Pep Guardiola's side picked up another four points.

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Starting ahead of Walker out of position is one thing, but it is also worth noting that Nunes has kept Rico Lewis on the bench for the last three matches. Lewis came on for the final minutes of the romp at Portman Road but has otherwise been kept out of the team.

Whether Nunes is a better option or not in the long-term - Guardiola mentioned his physicality and presence in the middle before the Brentford game - does not change the fact that it is a positive that Lewis can be left out. Only three members of the squad have played more than the 20-year-old this season and the manager said earlier in the campaign that he would love to rest him but did not have the bodies to do it.

Lewis will surely benefit if Walker does complete a move away from the club this month, but he will now no longer be alone in that. Nunes has put his hand up to be counted, Manu Akanji can potentially play there if there are ever more than two centre-backs fit again, and the two new signings will not be forced into the circumstances that Lewis was earlier this season.

Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis may have the possibility to play their way into Guardiola's plans with the minutes they get in the second half of the season, but neither of them will be placed in the position that Lewis was in where he was undroppable regardless of performance simply because there was nobody else.

Nor, for that matter, will Lewis. Instead of the challenge of knowing that he has to go out and play every minute possible, the defender can enjoy more rest and ensure that every minute he does spend on the pitch is of the highest quality he can give.