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Benjamin Mendy has dealt Manchester City a blow by announcing he is set to miss the first month of the new season.

But young Spaniard Angelino is determined to offer Pep Guardiola a solution by claiming a starting place for the champions' opening game against West Ham on August 10.

With Mendy out and Fabian Delph joining Everton, City decided to trigger a £6million buy-back clause for Angelino after the left-back impressed in Holland for both NAC Breda and PSV Eindhoven.

He gave away a penalty in his first game back in blue on Wednesday as City thumped West Ham 4-1 in the Asia Trophy and was replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko. But the 22-year-old insists it was always his ambition to return to Manchester after his first stint with the club came to an end two years ago.

(Image: Reuters)

Angelino said: “Zinchenko is doing really well even though he is playing out of position, but my aim to make the position mine.

“It was always my objective to get back to the club - and it worked. I had the clause in the contract to come back so it was up to me to have a good season and see what happened.

“Thanks to the two seasons I had at Breda [on loan] and PSV, I am here again. I started here at City so that was my main focus. I think I have improved. I’m not the same player I was when I was here before. Now it is my aim to play as much as I can and enjoy everything I can.”

(Image: Getty Images)

Angelino added: “I played in the Champions League at PSV and it was amazing. But there have been big changes at City. Pep has changed the style of play. He has made the team very dominant. I would say every player wants to play for a team that wants to dominate the ball.”

Mendy is in Barcelona recuperating from another serious knee problem with Guardiola’s favourite medic, Dr Ramon Cugat, while his team-mates are on a pre-season tour here in the Far East.

The £52million full-back will not return training in Manchester until next month, meaning the best case scenario is that he will only be made available for the trip to Norwich on September 14.

(Image: Getty)

The 25-year-old has made just 25 appearances since arriving from French club Monaco with a big reputation two years ago.

He suffered a torn cruciate ligament in September 2017 and only managed to return to the team in time to prove his fitness for France’s triumphant World Cup campaign in Russia.

Mendy was then sidelined by a succession of foot and knee issues last season, as the Blues claimed the first ever English domestic Treble.

City have resisted the temptation to spend big in the market for a left-back in his absence.