Guardiola: Nasri has a future at City, if he wants it

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claims Samir Nasri can stay at the club after working his way back into first-team calculations.

Nasri looked set for a Manchester exit after returning for pre-season overweight, his situation attracting reported interest from Turkish champions Besiktas.

But the former France international seems to be back in Guardiola’s good books, impressing during his surprise 15-minute cameo as City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory over West Ham on Sunday.

“Nasri can stay,” Guardiola told reporters after he was asked if the 29-year-old is part of his plans now.

“Samir arrived overweight but after seven days, 10 days, it was fantastic how he trained. His quality is another level.

“It depends on him. If he wants to help us and stay to be part of something, it depends on him.”

Guardiola also played down talk of an injury to centre-back John Stones.

The 22-year-old England international was withdrawn just shy of the hour-mark, replaced by Aleksandar Kolarov.

But Guardiola said: “Stones is not injured, I don’t think so. I didn’t speak to the doctor. I saw him tired and with problems, no injury.

“He had a little bit of a problem and did not win the duels. He might have been tired which is why we made the substitution.”