Stephen Ireland accepts there can be no guaranteed starts at high-flying Manchester City.

Ireland was not surprised to be left out at Aston Villa after being taken ill during the Fulham game then missing West Ham's visit, and he is upbeat about waging a constant battle to play.

He told City's website: "If you left for a bigger team in the past, it was always going to be like that anyway - Arsenal have always had that, Chelsea, Manchester United. They had big squads who had to fight.

"For us to be challenging up there we need it to be feisty and edgy, with even the best players having to try to get in the team. It's important to have squad rotation for the cups anyway."