Premier League 2019-20: 5 players Manchester City may need to replace

#1 Nicolas Otamendi

Nicolas Otamendi has been his error prone self this season

Once Laporte and Stones are back in the team, it will almost certainly mean the end of the road for Nicolas Otamendi. How the former Valencia star has become a personification of comical defending is one of the more baffling backward transformations in football recently.

Over committing to tackles, rash, headstrong and with zero sense of awareness, Otamendi has become a gift that has kept on giving; to Manchester City's opponents. It was thought during the summer that the Argentine would leave along with Kompany but somehow, he stayed on.

January cannot come soon enough for the powers-that-be at the Etihad Stadium with it almost certain that the 31-year-old will either leave the club or be relegated to the bench like last season.

Martin Skriniar, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake have been mentioned in the press as the likely candidates to replace the departed Kompany. One of Eric Garcia or England's U-17 captain, Taylor Harwood-Bellis is set to battle for the fourth centre-back berth. This would all but spell the end for Otamendi's time in Manchester.