Manchester City under Pep Guardiola are having a mixed season. The Citizens sit in third despite a blistering start to the campaign and have won only two of their last six Premier League games.
Defensive issues, including the prolonged absence of captain Vincent Kompany, have added to the worries of Guardiola approaching the January transfer window, and City have kept a lone clean sheet in their last 13.
The issues have led many speculate that the club will be attempt to acquire at least one new defender in January, to add support to their backline, but good recruits are notoriously hard to come by mid-season.
"Man City defence not good enough for Europe"
Only one clean sheet in last 13.
Does Pep need to tweak his style?https://t.co/CYRGrOUXlc pic.twitter.com/8MmqipaRyY
However, reports inStarsuggest that the former Bayern Munich manager may have another trick up his sleeve, with Guardiola reportedly set to offer recent outcast Yaya Toure a chance of regular game time, if he can convert to play as a centre back.
Toure and his agent were engaged in ahigh-profile spat with Guardiola, seeing the Ivorian midfielder removed from first team duties until last weekend, when Toure, following a public apology, was recalled to first team action against Crystal Palace.
Despite scoring both goals in a 1-2 win, Guardiola is keen to use the 33-year-old deeper, in an attempt to solve problems internally without spending big.
Guardiola has also suggested using Fernandinho as defensive cover, but prefers Toure due to previous experience while being reluctant to lose the Brazilian's influence higher up.
While he has spent the majority of his career in the centre of the park, scoring 20 Premier League goals for City in the 2013/14 season,Toure isn't a stranger to playing defence.
3. Yaya Toure to David Beckham: 9 players who came back from the wilderness - https://t.co/VDppygBmY5 pic.twitter.com/E9WlbC9enU
When both Guardiola and Toure served together at Barcelona, the four time African Footballer of the Year was frequently deployed as a centre back, most notably in the 2009 Champions League final.
Toure's reintegration into the first team could be dependent on his ability to adapt, and this might be his last opportunity to play a meaningful part at the Etihad Stadium.