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It has been a far from vintage season for Manchester City in defence so far.

Of the summer signings, Eliaquim Mangala has struggled to integrate with the defence despite an excellent debut and Bacary Sagna has not yet made his mark for the club.

The left-back position was not improved on in the transfer window but Aleks Kolarov and Gael Clichy have struggled to maintain the form they showed last season.

With the Serbian ruled out for a month, Clichy's display against Manchester United won plaudits; however, subsequent performances against CSKA Moscow and QPR were abysmal.

With the full-backs, both 29, under pressure to improve, M.E.N Sport takes a look at five players that could improve the Blues squad.

Ricardo Rodriguez

Aged just 22, Rodriguez already has plenty of experience at the top level. The Swiss defender played for his country at the World Cup in summer and has been a regular for Wolfsburg for the last three seasons.

The youngster is enjoying his best season to date and is also enjoying himself in front of goal, with three league goals in eight starts and a superb free-kick against Everton in the Europa League.

The defender has 18 months remaining on his contract and while the German club remain confident of a new deal, a big fee could tempt them to sell.

Alex Sandro

City have already raided Porto for Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala this summer, and it may well be worth chasing another.

Alex Sandro came to the Portugese club via Brazilian club Santos and has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the top flight.

The Brazilian made the bench for Brazil's most recent friendly and at 23 can develop further as a player.

Having bought him for less than 10 million euros, Alex Sandro could be the next player Porto make a big profit on.

Jose Luis Gaya

Gaya is a relative newcomer to top-level football but is already showing signs of becoming an excellent player.

Having started this season as first-choice left-back at Valencia following Juan Bernat's departure, the 19-year-old has helped his side to third in La Liga.

A product of the club's academy system, Gaya still has work to do to improve his game but his pace and skill make him one to watch for the future.

Angelino

This would not be a star signing that would bring in a player ready-made to take the league by storm, but it would still be a statement of intent from the Blues.

Promoting a young left-back would show the youngsters that the door to the first team is very much open and warn the senior players that their places are not guaranteed outside of transfer windows, as well as showcasing City's academy players to the league.

If it is deemed too early for 17-year-old Angelino, 20-year-old Greg Leigh is currently getting game time at Crewe and spent some time with the first-team squad this summer.

Fabio Coentrao

The Portuguese star was out of favour at the Bernabeu last season but has worked his way into Carlo Ancelotti's good books and - injuries permitting - has been challenging for a first team spot at Real this season.

At 26, Coentrao should be coming into his peak years, and already has nearly 50 caps for Portugal. With a tough battle with Marcelo at Real for a starting place, City could provide a Premier League alternative.