What Does the Future Hold for Jason Denayer at Manchester City?

There is likely to be significant change to the Manchester City squad this summer, particularly in defence where they currently have big problems.

All four of their senior full-backs are 30 or over and deficient in certain areas, while their issues at centre-back are perhaps even deeper.

Vincent Kompany is out injured with his fifth separate setback of the season having damaged his groin in the UEFA Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. His calf problems have been well documented—he’s suffered 14 injuries in the last four years, with the club seemingly no closer to finding a solution.

Can he be relied upon to play the number of games the club would ideally want him to? It’s beginning to look unlikely. He’s now 30 and in what should be his prime, but his body appears to be too fragile to allow him to play regularly enough. It’s a great shame. One of the most talented and inspirational defenders to play for City is being robbed of his best years.

In his absence, Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi have played alongside one another, with neither impressing to any great degree. They’re both similar; they can look outstanding for long periods, only for a lack of concentration, poor positioning or their own rashness causing them problems. The amount of times their over-exuberance has cost City is becoming uncountable.

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Martin Demichelis’ contract is due to expire in June, and given his collapse in form this season, he is likely to leave the club.

It leaves incoming manager Pep Guardiola in something of a tight spot. He surely recognises the need to make alterations to the makeup of the squad, but he is unlikely to make the kind wholesale changes a lot of City fans are wanting.

Aymeric Laporte is thought to be Guardiola’s top defensive target, according to Daniel Taylor of the Guardian. The Athletic Club Bilbao man, 22 this month, is currently out injured, having suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle. He won't return until August.

However, Guardiola is thought to see him as the ideal long-term option City need, and he has reportedly convinced the club’s board to trigger the Frenchman’s release clause of £39 million, despite the severity of his current injury woes.

Everton's John Stones has also been watched—but it seems Guardiola prefers Laporte. There’s little doubt the 21-year-old is wonderful on the ball, with the potential to be one of the finest footballing centre-halves England have produced, but his costly errors this season suggest he needs time to hone his talent further at Goodison Park.

With Everton no longer in need of money thanks to their change in ownership and the influx of added television money this summer, it would take a huge fee to prize Stones from their grasp.

The forgotten man in the whole equation is Jason Denayer, on loan from City at Galatasaray having spent last season with Celtic.

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The 20-year-old is highly thought of at City. Quick, strong, good on the ball—he’s equipped with everything he needs to have a decent career in the game.

With hindsight, the offer of a new one-year deal to Demichelis at the end of last season was the wrong decision. Denayer should have stayed at City this season and played games, with Demichelis going back to Argentina to end his playing days.

Whether Denayer will prove good enough to make it at City remains to be seen—but few youngsters in the Blues’ academy have done more in recent times to suggest they could do, particularly in a defensive position.

Denayer, a Belgium international with four caps, is a big talent. He may be Kompany's successor for Marc Wilmots' side at this summer's UEFA European Championship, as well as next season at City.

It's a vital juncture in his career. He needs to take any chance that comes his way, and playing for one of the best sides at an international tournament and then working with the most coveted manager in the world is a wonderful platform on which to develop.

Patrick Vieira, his former elite development squad boss at City, told Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News he was proud of Denayer during his loan spell at Celtic last season.

“When I watch Jason playing for Celtic, or Marcos Lopes playing at Lille, it makes us really proud," the Frenchman said.

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“The way they are performing lets me know we are doing things the right stuff. We have to keep doing it. The object is to provide players for the first team, but we know the gap is massive from under-21 to the first team—but this is one way we can get them there.”

Denayer, it seems, has done his time on loan, playing top-level league football, as well as appearing in both the Champions League and UEFA Europa League. He's played at right-back and centre-back, developing his skill set in preparation for an assault on making it into City's first-team plans.

Guardiola's ability to develop players is well known. He will have in his midst a talented defender with plenty of experience for one so young. City have developed him technically and tactically, while Celtic and Galatasaray have prepared him for senior football, both physically and mentally.

Now is his chance to shine at City. Given the state of their defensive options, he may just be in the right place at the right time.

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.