With Sergio Aguero falling victim to yet another injury, the focus has turned at Manchester City as to whether the forward line will need bolstering in the upcoming January transfer window.

The only first team forwards available for the foreseeable future are Edin Dzeko and Stefan Jovetic, both of whom have had their fair share of injury problems themselves this season. Jovetic is also not the kind of player who can fill the lone striker role in City’s system, and so ideally would play alongside Dzeko.

With Negredo out on loan with a permanent deal clause at Valencia, Manchester City’s strike force is looking pretty threadbare. So as it is December, it’s time to jump on the transfer window bandwagon.

The January window has a reputation for raising the prices of players anyway, and with Manchester City looking to curb the high spending of the past it’s unlikely they will make a move for a world class forward.

Wilfried Bony is being touted as the next striker to move to a top four club from Swansea, but would hardly be the right move for City. Bony, like Toure, will be at the African Cup of Nations in the New Year meaning he would make little impact or provide cover for Dzeko.

many fans would like to see young Swedish striker John Guidetti given a run in the first team.

Fabio Borini has been sidelined by Brendan Rogers, and could arguably make an impact for City due to his pace and choice of runs. However, his finishing is still a little unconvincing and thus the Italian could frustrate in games where City have to break down resilient defenses. Borini though would be more likely to wait his turn behind Manchester City’s established strikers, making him ideal for a covering role, if only until more reinforcements can be sourced in the summer.

Perhaps City won’t have to dip into the transfer market at all however, many fans would like to see young Swedish striker John Guidetti given a run in the first team. He certainly seems to be proving himself on loan at Celtic, with 11 goals and 5 assists in 14 appearances. The 22 year old certainly fits the profile of Striker City have needed since the departure of Negredo, with a strong presence on the pitch and the ability to hold up play as well as clinically finish. The worrying factor is that his contract runs out in the summer, and City may struggle to tie him down to another given his success in Scotland, and previous inability to break through in Manchester (albeit being partly due to successive injuries).

Personally I think the time has come for Manchester City to look within for solutions, especially at this point in the season. Guidetti is familiar with the squad, and wouldn’t need the same bedding in period as players brought in from elsewhere. As a stop gap measure at least until the summer, Manchester City could do a lot worse. The trick will be convincing Guidetti that he is still wanted by the club.