Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has defended the decision to remove Samir Nasri from his Champions League squad for the second half of the season.

Nasri underwent an operation on a serious thigh injury in October that was expected to keep him out until mid-April, but the Frenchman has returned ahead of schedule and today scored the winner in his first league start for seven months.

He will be unavailable when City welcome Paris Saint-Germain to the Etihad Stadium for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, though, having been replaced in the club's European squad by Kelechi Iheanacho.

"We expected he was going to come back in the middle of April, the doctor said, but we needed to play in the Champions League in February," Pellegrini told reporters.

"We had just Kun (Sergio Aguero) as a striker as [Wilfried] Bony was injured, so it was important to include Kelechi.

"But, I do not think he is able to play in another three days [anyway]. He has had a long injury."

City go into Tuesday's second leg with a slight advantage following their 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes last Wednesday.