Pep Guardiola praised James McAtee for proving on the pitch that he can shine in this Manchester City team.

McAtee has spent the last two seasons playing at Sheffield United but returned to the Etihad in summer and stayed because he was convinced that both Guardiola and sporting director Txiki Begiristain believed he could contribute. Those opportunities have not come though, and his lack of minutes have grown more frustrating as City's form has nosedived; in the last 13 games in all competitions before they headed to Leicester, McAtee had made just two substitute appearances.

The 22-year-old is considering his options for the January transfer window, but came off the bench at Leicester and helped to tee up the Erling Haaland goal that killed off any Leicester interest in the game. The away fans sang his name more than once in the final 15 minutes as McAtee continued to impress.

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City are intent on not losing anybody in the January transfer window, and Guardiola is also adamant about keeping the player - despite admitting that it was not fair to point out his talent when he has overlooked it all season. McAtee has shown he deserves more minutes so it is now up to City to honour that.

"It's not a doubt - not because of the way we played but in the past. There are things that sometimes feel unfair," said Guardiola.

"Sometimes in the situation you are living always you had the feeling to give the responsibility to the senior players rather than the young players, but sometimes the senior players have more pressure than the young ones who don't have anything to defend. They want to conquer the world.

"I had the feeling before the game, I said if today I had to make a substitution the first one would be James. I felt it. It doesn't matter, he can play wings, in the pockets, as a striker.

"What I'm pleased the most is that every action he has done was good. He didn't make one wrong action and defensively he grew up a lot in Sheffield making him so mature - even with the struggle at the end he had there to get minutes as well.

"He's a player with a generation that we had in City that has been unbelievable - Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap., Taylor Harwood-Bellis. They are incredible players and Macca has come from there and been captain of that generation.

"That's why I said to Txiki [Begiristain], and I know it's unfair to say [now] because 'you asked him to stay and I didn't give you the minutes you deserved' so that's fair enough but I always had the feeling he could play with us.

"I'm very pleased for him because he's an incredibly lovely guy, he trains really good, never one bad face and he won his minutes. It's simple. All the players, if you want to ask something, on the green is the best place to show it. Macca today proved it.