Benjamin Mendy grabbed his first goal for Manchester City in his 60th appearance for the club in the Citizens’ 5-0 win against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

The former Monaco man has endured a torrid time with injuries during his time in the Premier League but after helping Guardiola’s side to two consecutive clean sheets in the past week, fans will be hoping that the Frenchman is set for an extended run in the side.

The left-back has shown himself to be extremely impressive going forward during his City career, having contributed 11 assists in his 60 appearances, but has often struggled defensively.

Therefore, Guardiola could properly unshackle the 26-year-old by setting his City side up in a five-at-the-back formation for future games, which would take a lot of defensive responsibility off the injury-prone ace.

The Spanish manager has enough quality centre-backs at the club to effectively play three centre-backs, meaning Kyle Walker or Joao Cancelo could also use their attacking qualities to get forward on the right-hand side.

John Stones’ recent impressive displays have shown that he is more than capable of performing in this City side, and if he was paired with Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias at the back for future games, it could go some way towards improving the Citizens’ poor defensive record.

Guardiola’s side have already conceded 11 goals in their nine Premier League games so far this season, including five at home to Leicester, so you can definitely argue that playing in a five-at-the-back system could go some way towards improving them defensively.

Playing Mendy further forward would also allow him to overlap more and get crosses into the box, which would make the most of his excellent crossing ability.

Speaking earlier this year, Guardiola suggested that the Frenchman has “a special quality with his energy,” so he clearly rates the left-back highly and wants to get the most out of him in his side.

Therefore, we feel the Spanish manager should consider switching to a five-at-the-back system, as he could potentially kill two birds with one stone by allowing Mendy more creative freedom, whilst also making his side more solid defensively.

And, in other news… Man City must prioritise the long-term future of “unbelievable” maestro