Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has lavished on the prize on his teammate Yaya Touré by saying that the former Barcelona man is one of the key players for the club.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini has a lot of attacking options at his disposal, but Touré remains as one of the integral parts of the team due to his versatility. The Ivorian is also the first name when it comes to pace and power. All these qualities have made his name strike fear into the opposition when the team sheet is announced.

Pellegrini has managed to utilise Touré in several positions depending upon the nature of the game. He is also able to switch between attack and defence seamlessly in the middle of the game as well. Due to his physical presence, he is formidable when playing as a defensive midfielder, while his pace and power come in handy when used as an attacking force. Zabaleta has been one of the consistent players for the club since his move from Spain in 2008. He has recalled that Touré has also been useful when it comes to scoring from set pieces as well.

The £ 24 million signing, who is one of the highest-paid players in the world, has already scored seven goals from free kicks this campaign.

“He’s one of the main players in the team. He’s really good going forward. He’s scored 14 goals this season and for a central midfielder that’s fantastic. Yes probably he’s one of the best in the world. He’s a complete player. He’s been really good for us, he can create things from the back. We’ve been surprised by his free-kicks too, he’s scored four or five - you can’t ask for any more," said Zabaleta.
City have been a major attacking force this campaign and they have already scored 100 goals in all competitions.