(Reuters) - Yaya Toure's agent says the Manchester City midfielder plans to stay and fight for his place despite being left out of their first game of the season.
The Ivorian, who played under new manager Pep Guardiola when the pair were at Barcelona, was omitted for Saturday's narrow 2-1 win over Sunderland in City's Premier League opener.
The 33-year-old will also not play in Tuesday's Champions League playoff with Steaua Bucharest in Romania but agent Dmitri Seluk said his client was determined to force his way into Guardiola's plans.
"Pep is the best manager in the world and I just hope he gives Yaya the chance to prove he is still good enough for City," Seluk told Sky Sports television.
"He has not been included against Sunderland or Bucharest but that's okay. He is fit to play right now.
"Guardiola has to learn all about the players he has available. The performance against Sunderland was far from perfect," added Seluk.
"This is a very good process for Yaya. It will allow him (to prove) in training and in matches that he is still a wonderful player. But there is no talk of a transfer. Yaya will stay and fight."
Toure, who captained Ivory Coast to the African Nations Cup title in 2015, has won both La Liga and the Premier League twice, as well as the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009.