Nasri: Guardiola will be a lucky man to have me in his team

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri believes Pep Guardiola will be a lucky man to have him at his disposal next season.

Nasri returned to the City starting XI for the first time since September to draw a line under his injury nightmare with the winning goal in Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win over West Brom.

A close season of upheaval is expected at the Etihad Stadium when Bayern Munich coach Guardiola replaces Manuel Pellegrini as manager.

Nasri, a richly-gifted playmaker whose inconsistency have seen him frustrate and dazzle in equal measure since completing a protracted move from Arsenal to City in 2011, feels his talents fit the bill for Guardiola’s renowned brand of high-tempo passing football.

Additionally, the 28-year-old expects the combination of his lengthy lay off and an international retirement that rules him out of Euro 2016 commitments with France to leave the Catalan tactician with a “hungry” performer.

“I am the type of player for his philosophy and the way he likes his team to play so we are just going to see,” said Nasri, who pledged to make his case to Guardiola personally at the earliest possible opportunity.

“On the first day of pre-season I will have a chat with him because I am going to be really hungry.

“You never know, maybe he comes with his [own] ideas and stuff. I played against him in the past, he had some praise for me but I think that was five years ago now. That is one thing.

“When he starts I am going to be fresh so I hope that will help me – when you have been out for so long you are more hungry when you come back, you don’t want to waste your time.

“You want to be back with a bang and fit for my team. If I stay working with Pep Guardiola – if he wants me – he’s going to be a lucky man because I will be really hungry.”

Nasri penned an extended five-year contract after playing a pivotal role in City’s Premier League and League Cup triumphs in 2013-14, but his subsequent struggles have cast doubt on his future.

“Of course I want to stay, that’s why I extended my contract,” he added. “But at the end of the day I am a player and I want to play.

“You can do whatever you want, but if you are sitting on the bench you are not happy, no matter if you have signed a 25-year deal. It doesn’t matter.

“If I don’t perform, to sit on the bench, of course I’ll accept it, but if I play I just want to be one of the starters if I perform. That’s just how it is.”