Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has handed Stevan Jovetic hope after his Champions League snub.
Manuel Pellegrini: Encouraged Stevan Jovetic
The Montenegro striker has been discarded from City's European squad to provide room for new arrival Wilfried Bony - but Pellegrini insists the £25m signing of the Ivory Coast star does not spell the end of Jovetic's time at the Etihad Stadium.
Pellegrini said: "It was difficult to take a player out of the list but we bought in Bony and we have another box player. It was a difficult decision but I think the decision was right.
"I don't think that it has relation to anything. It's important for Stevan to try to play as much as he can between now and the end of the season and have a high performance when he plays.
"After the season, we would like Stevan and all the squad to continue for next year, so I don't think it has any relation to anything else."
On the title race with Chelsea, the Chilean added: "When you have to play for 45 points more, you can close that gap. What's important for our team is to be at the top of the table as soon as we can.
"We can improve our performance and repeat what we did in the back end of December and wait to see whether Chelsea drop points.
"January was not a good month because we changed again our style of play. We had to arrange our team when strikers came back and they need to have minutes again.
"I suppose the game of Chelsea again was a switch again. We played a very good game against the best team. I'm sure we will soon see the things we are used to."