Samir Nasri Must Seize His Manchester City Chance with David Silva Sidelined

Samir Nasri is back in contention for a place in the Manchester City side for this weekend’s game with Bournemouth, after recovering from the hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur three weeks ago.

It’s a huge boost to City manager Manuel Pellegrini; especially given David Silva is out after picking up an ankle injury on international duty with Spain.

The loss of Silva’s creativity will be a significant blow to City, who rely on their Spanish playmaker to orchestrate their attacks.

Nasri, though, is a player with a similar set of qualities, capable of opening up defences with his neat passing ability.

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PELLEGRINI: "@yayatoure & @SamNasri19 are both recovered. For Delph, maybe one week more and he will be working with the squad.” #cityvafcb

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) October 16, 2015"

Nasri had a frustrating 2014/15 season. Since his half-time substitution at the Camp Nou back in March during City’s last-16 defeat to Barcelona, Pellegrini has used him sparingly.

It wouldn't have been a surprise if Nasri had been sold during the summer, but the Frenchman remained and will now be determined to prove his worth. 

He has started just one league game this term—the 1-0 win away at Crystal Palace—and with appearances so few and far between, he's understandably struggled to develop any momentum.

With Kevin De Bruyne making an excellent start to life as a City player, and Raheem Sterling also impressing since he joined from Liverpool in the summer, Nasri’s chances have been very limited. 

GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

There have been question marks over his mental strength, since his form in City’s two recent title-defence seasons has been poor. When things are going well for City, Nasri very often looks superb, but when character is needed to pull the side through difficult periods, he has a tendency to go missing.

He now has a chance to reassert himself in the starting XI and show Pellegrini he has a role to play this season, despite the new arrivals in attacking positions.

Yaya Toure and Fernando have both recovered from their respective injuries and are also set to face the newly promoted Cherries at the weekend.

“Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri are both recovered, and Fernando also had a small problem in his knee, but he is recovered,” Pellegrini told reporters on Friday.

Pellegrini’s most pressing concern ahead of the Bournemouth match is in defence, where he is without both of his recognised left-backs. Aleksandar Kolarov returned from the international break with a hamstring injury, joining Gael Clichy on the sidelines and leaving Pellegrini with very few options.

Either Pablo Zabaleta or Bacary Sagna will start there against Bournemouth, neither of whom are natural left-backs. Pellegrini, though, refused to complain about injuries, saying it was up to the players available to him to show their worth.

Bogdan Maran/Associated Press

“I always say at the beginning of the season it is so important to have a strong squad,” he said. “If you look at the statistics every year, all the teams have a lot of injured players.

“We play so many games during the year here, in the Premier League where it is very intense games, and you need two players for each position.

“Now is the moment not to complain about injured players, it is the moment for the players who must play in these games to demonstrate what good players they are. I repeat, all of them are important names and they have all the conditions to be important in this moment.”

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Five out, three back for #cityvafcb, plus Manuel on @VincentKompany's return. Read: http://t.co/z0rsY1PAw3 #mcfc pic.twitter.com/NXw7MaAyX6

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) October 16, 2015"

City are two points clear at the top of the table, having won their last match at home to Newcastle United 6-1. They will be keen to build on that victory with another three points on Saturday and will welcome back captain Vincent Kompany to the side. Sergio Aguero, though, is out. 

With injuries to a number of the club's biggest stars, it's a chance for some of Pellegrini's fringe players to stake a claim for more regular starts.

Nasri, a supremely talented player who perhaps lacks consistency, is chief among them. After a disappointing few months, he must show what he's capable of. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.