Manchester City began a testing week with a good three points at home to Brighton and Hove Albion which stopped the rot in the Premier League.

With Rodri back in the centre and John Stones making a long-awaited return, it seemed as though the Blues have started to rediscover their clinical edge. However, there is one player who made a starring appearance on Saturday who could have booked his place in the team which travels to Old Trafford next weekend.

Jeremy Doku tormented the Brighton back line and poor James Milner had to be subbed off at half time due to the youngster's pace causing so many issues. After the game, Pep Guardiola explained the decision to choose the 21-year-old against the Seagulls was a calculated risk which paid off.

But, his reasoning for the decision hints at when we may see Doku start again. "Jeremy can play on right perfectly, maybe on the left he's not used [to]," Guardiola told reporters. "Four years ago you had a left winger playing the left side, and a right-winger on the right side. Now it's difficult to find. [Kaoru] Mitoma being right and left. Both can play. Jack [Grealish] is more controlled, doesn't have the one-against-one speed but the control, the assists.

"Review the West Ham game and today. After West Ham he [Doku] didn't play one or two games, he's a player we have a little bit of doubts about sustaining games every three days. He's not used to it but he's an exceptional winger, so smart. He's intuitive to get the ball.

"After the quality to take one or two [players] to the byline for the first goal and the many actions he had. I'm really pleased for his impact since he came to us. A star for many years to come in this house."

The manager added: "I guessed a game with more transitions. Because both teams are man-to-man, more aggressive. You lose the ball more than usual. That provokes the transitions. I thought Phil [Foden] and Jeremy with his pace could help."

Against Manchester United at the weekend, the Blues can expect their opponents to attempt to be aggressive similarly to Brighton. At home, the Reds are less likely to want to sit back - the crowd will push them into being more attacking.

This should open up the transitions for City where a player like Doku can thrive. If he is employed on the right, which Guardiola believes he can play perfectly, there is a good chance he could come up against Victor Lindelof who is by no means a natural at left-back.

Therefore, using Doku in the derby could give him a chance to torment the opposition in a similar manner to what we saw on Saturday, making him an almost guaranteed starter for the big clash next week.