Joe Rodon has struggled to get game time at Tottenham but more opportunities could be imminent after Antonio Conte's admission and recent results.
Spurs have a week to prepare for their trip to the Etihad on Saturday, which comes on the back of two Premier League defeats, against Southampton and Wolves.
The Lilywhites are now five points off fourth-placed West Ham and with three games in hand but poor performances don't create much hope for the trio of away games which are up next.
Rodon has made just eight appearances for Tottenham, in all competitions this season, but his next chance to impress may arise soon.
The Welsh international's only Premier League feature this campaign was in the 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
That was the first league loss under Nuno Espirito Santo and was the start of a trio of defeats in London derbies.
The game saw Japhet Tanganga sent off and Eric Dier pick up an injury, which made room for Rodon to step-in, in the 12th minute of the game.
Spurs already had injury issues and it was a poor performance overall, with a lack of quality and organisation throughout.
His chances under Conte have been few are far between and his only recent 90 minutes came against Morecambe in the FA Cup, whilst he was carrying an injury.
The 24-year-old cracked his first rib and fractured the cartilage during a training accident but still managed to make himself available for the cup tie.
In the game against the League One side, Rodon then cracked another rib after an aerial challenge in the first half, although he powered through the match.
Therefore there is an argument that the defender hasn't had a good enough chance to impress, due to the nature of the matches he has been involved in so far and his physical setbacks.
Previously the defender has received praise from Jose Mourinho, Conte and Mike England, during his time on international duty with Wales.
Rodon performs well for his country and his previous experiences for Wales and Swansea show he can be a versatile player and take up any of the three positions in the back three.
Former Spurs player and Wales manager England, praised the defender for his form during the Euro 2020 competition.
"I’ve been impressed with his progress," he said. "He’s played every game at the tournament and he’s obviously 23, so he’s at the age now where he should be pushing through.
"When you get to 23 it means you’ve played quite a few games, it’s not as if you’re a youngster of 18 or 19. He’s still reasonably young but he’s doing really well and the more games that he plays, his confidence is growing.
"That’s what it’s all about. When he gets his full confidence, he’s got great potential, he really has. It’s fantastic to see," the 80-year-old added.
Conte told football.london previously that the Welshman was Dier's understudy, but the 28-year-old's injury has still not given Rodon a clear opportunity.
football.london understands that some of the squad's senior players have been pushing the claims of Rodon behind the scenes in recent weeks, especially with his versatility.
With the poor performances from the defensive line in both of Tottenham's games last week, it now raises questions over why the defender isn't being given a chance.
"Joe we are talking about a really good guy," Conte said in his post match press conference on Sunday. "We are talking about a person whose commitment is very high every day. But in this moment maybe I make mistakes to pick different players maybe.
"Maybe. My evaluation is to try to put on the pitch the best players at the moment. If I didn't do this then maybe I did different considerations."
Although there is uncertainty over what the Spurs boss meant by this, there is a possibility that he may reconsider his starting line-up.
If Dier returns against Man City, it won't help Rodon's chances of climbing the pecking order in upcoming matches but if he or any of the other defenders do pick up knocks, the 24-year-old finally get his chance?
In March last year, Mourinho was asked about what Rodon would need to do to get more game time.
"He has to do nothing," he said when speaking to the media. "He’s perfect, works very hard, young guy, wants to learn, very enthusiastic.
"He has just to wait for his opportunities and to get it."
During the January transfer window, there was a real prospect of Rodon making the move away from N17, but an agreement couldn't be made which suited all parties.
However, the idea of a departure means that the defender may not be around in the long-term future to get his chance and it could be a vital few months for the Welshman before the opening of the summer transfer window.
As Mourinho suggests, Rodon may just need to keep waiting for his chance under Conte but with the defender still being young and wanting regular match minutes, the 52-year-old may not have him as an option much longer, unless things change.
