The recent sacking of Mark Hughes meant, amongst other things, the slate was wiped clean for many a player‘s first team chances at Eastlands. Initially, it was impossible to second-guess the selection policies of Roberto Mancini, but as the games go by, some of his Man City favourites are becoming more obvious.

For four games straight now, Martin Petrov has been a starter for the Italian, and as more established stars such as Robinho have dropped to the bench due to insipid displays, the Bulgarian has had no such problems.

Already under Mancini, Petrov has been used on both his natural left wing, and as last night’s home romp against Blackburn showed, the right flank. With the right-footed Craig Bellamy on the left, Mancini had both wingers cutting inside with his front men, Tevez and Benjani, showed industry in giving width ahead of the midfield.

Of the three league games under Mancini, Petrov has missed a mere 10 mins so far, as his performances for the in-form side have seen him grab 14 points in FPL.

Doubters may suggest that the likes of Wright-Phillips will see Petrov warm the bench once again, but on the evidence so far Mancini, keen on a four-four-two formation, seems to like what he sees in the case of the Bulgarian. With so many manager’s priorities fixed on the upcoming double gameweek, Petrov will undoubtedly be under the radar. Understandable, as City’s next game see them visit Everton, followed by a blank gameweek 23.

However, the following fixtures are definitely worth consideration, as City play Portsmouth (home) Hull (away), then a fantastic double gameweek 26 sees them host Bolton at Eastlands before travelling to Stoke.

At 6.5m on FPL, Martin Petrov could be well worth a punt, given the performances so far under the new manager. With just 2.2% of managers as owners, a nice little “differential” too.