Saturday, September 30
 

Fabian Delph happy to fill in for injured full-back Benjamin Mendy

Fabian Delph is prepared to play at left-back in Manchester City's meeting with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League if Benjamin Mendy fails to recover from injury.

Fabian Delph has volunteered to fill in at left-back should Manchester City teammate Benjamin Mendy be ruled out for the Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Frenchman hobbled off the field 30 minutes into the Citizens' 5-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, leaving him doubtful for the midweek European clash.

Delph has played in that position in the past, most recently during the 2-1 EFL Cup victory against West Bromwich Albion earlier this week, and he is determined to prove his worth to the club after rejecting a summer move away.

"I've played left-back before, not many times, under Gerard Houllier when I was a young kid of 20 or 21," the Manchester Evening News quotes him as saying. "If I can help the team I am happy. I am a team player – if we win I go home happy.

"All the players know the system of how the manager wants us to play. I have played left-back in training and at Aston Villa and as a young guy coming through at Leeds. I'm not a left-back but I feel I can do a job there. There are others in the team who can do a job at left-back as well.

"Leroy [Sane] can play there as well, but if I'm selected you will get nothing less than 100% - and if I'm not selected I'll be on the bench, screaming and shouting, pushing the lads on to do well.

"There was talk of me going, but I'm here and happy - and as long as I can contribute I will stay happy. No player would ever want to leave a club like this. If you do leave the club, it's because your services are no longer required. That wasn't the case for me. I wasn't being pushed out of the door and I'm so happy to be here and contributing."

Delph scored the fifth of City's goals against Palace in a move that included 31 passes in the build-up - the most in the Premier League since September 2015.

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