3 Manchester City Players Who Are Fighting for Their Futures in 2015/16

It's fair to say it's been a sensational start to the new season for Manchester City. Three games played, nine points on the board, with eight goals scored and none conceded. It's an immaculate early-season record. 

In fact, stretching back to last season, City have now won nine league games in succession, equalling a club record that has stood since 1912. A win at home against Watford on Saturday would see Manuel Pellegrini become a history maker. 

And with their summer reshuffle almost complete, there's now serious competition for place at the Etihad, meaning a number of players are left fighting for a starting berth and even their futures. 

Here are three City stars with much to prove over the coming months. 

1. Samir Nasri

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Samir Nasri's cameo against Everton on Sunday, where he scored a beautiful goal and helped City control the tempo of the match, highlighted, once again, the qualities he possesses. 

Nasri is a superb footballer, technically gifted and capable of brilliance. Yet too often he goes missing and underperforms. His future at City was in serious doubt after being frozen out of the final stages of last season, and with Kevin De Bruyne expected to join Raheem Sterling as a new arrival at City, according to Sky Sports, it looks like being squeezed out still further. 

Jesus Navas is seen as a safer pair of hands defensively, and so Nasri knows he has to produce quality in the final third every time he plays to force his way into the side. De Bruyne's possible arrival will drive him further down the pecking order, but he will fancy the challenge. He has enough quality to fight for his place with anyone. 

It's a huge season for the Frenchman. 

2. Eliaquim Mangala

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It's been a fine start to the season for City and also for their 24-year-old centre-back Eliaquim Mangala. He has delivered three impressive displays and given cause for real optimism after a shaky debut campaign. 

But given the arrival of Nicolas Otamendi and the fact some still see Mangala as a concern, he needs a consistent campaign to prove he is a long-term option for a side chasing silverware. 

In fact, according to a report by Simon Mullock in the Mirror, City considered sending Mangala to Valencia on loan for the season as part of the deal for Otamendi. 

They would have been mad to lose him at this stage. Yes, he was beset by nervousness last season, and that affected his performances, but he has all the raw attributes needed to be a top-quality centre-back. 

3. Fernando

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If Mangala's debut season was disappointing, Fernando's was just downright disastrous. 

Mangala at least showed flashes of brilliance, the signs of a genuinely good player. Fernando just underwhelmed throughout. He looked off the pace, bereft of ideas in possession and overwhelmed by the strength and quality in the Premier League. 

But City's summer transfers have left him largely untouched. Fabian Delph has arrived, but he isn't a like-for-like player and replaces James Milner in the squad anyway. Fernando will continue to get chances. 

This time, he simply has to take them.