We have big things still to play for says Garcia

ERIC Garcia says he is not taking his spell in the City starting XI for granted, and wants to repay Pep Guardiola’s faith in him.

The defender started the first game back against Arsenal, but the head injury he suffered in that match ruled him out of the next three games. The young Spaniard returned to the centre of defence for the 4-0 win over Liverpool, and retained his place for the trip to Southampton on Sunday.

With John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi struggling for minutes, Garcia seems to have moved higher up the pecking order among City’s centre-backs. And that is not lost on him.

He said: “I’m really happy for the opportunity but I need to keep working hard to repay the confidence he’s (Pep) given me that I can prove it on the field.”

With City having lost the Premier League title to Liverpool, they are still hoping to add the FA Cup and Champions League to their collection this season something Garcia says is keeping the City squad motivated for the final run of league games.

He said: “We still have some games to play and then the semifinal against Arsenal. These games are really good for us to prepare for what’s coming. We have the Champions League too, so it’s always good to have games to prepare for the big games coming up.

“The mood is really well. Obviously the win against Liverpool helped. But apart from that we won against Newcastle to get through in the FA Cup. We have big things coming up so the mood is well.”