Pep Guardiola insists Kevin De Bruyne "is back" after his stunning free-kick beat Leicester City, while the Manchester City head coach confirmed Erling Haaland missed out through ligament damage.
City moved to the Premier League summit on Saturday as De Bruyne's wonderful 25-yard effort sealed a narrow 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium, where the visitors were without top scorer Haaland.
Guardiola admitted he had expected more from the Belgium international in recent weeks, while the City boss is hopeful his number nine will be fit again for next weekend's clash with Fulham.
"Kevin De Bruyne is back," Guardiola told BT Sport.
"He was not playing good the last few games, but today he was amazing. He knows it.
"There was no space and we had to be patient. [Leicester] changed it, and it was a difficult game, because they had 10 players so deep and it's so difficult.
"After we scored the goal, they changed their rhythm and in the Premier League, the last few minutes are always difficult, so it's a massive victory for us."
Asked when he thought Haaland would return, Guardiola told BBC Sport: "I don't know. He has ligament damage.
"He feels better and we have one more week as he won't play against Sevilla [on Wednesday] because we have already qualified [in the Champions League].
"And then hopefully against Fulham, he can help us. If not, he might play against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup [on November 9]."
De Bruyne believes City demonstrated their ability to cope without Haaland, while the midfield maestro also paid tribute to goalkeeper Ederson, who showed marvellous reflexes to deny Youri Tielemans' thumping 20-yard volley.
"We have proved we can win with or without Erling Haaland," De Bruyne said. "Ederson has been great. Sometimes, we only talk about his distribution, but he's a great keeper, and he proves it every week.
"We made it difficult for ourselves, we were a bit tired. They were very negative for 70 minutes, but then their changes made it a different game.
"We didn't keep the ball in their half, but we still could have scored a second."
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
Guardiola 'would love to stay' at Man City beyond 2025
Pep Guardiola "would love to stay" at Manchester City beyond the expiration of his contract next year amid reports linking him with the England job.
Guardiola's contract with the Premier League champions expires in 2025, and some have tipped him to take the England job following Gareth Southgate's resignation.
In eight seasons with City to date, Guardiola has won 15 major trophies including six Premier League titles and the club's first Champions League in 2022-23.
Since Guardiola arrived ahead of the 2016-17 season, City have won more games (225), scored more goals (755) and earned more points (716) than any other side in the Premier League.
On Friday, he hinted his stay at the Etihad Stadium could extend beyond nine years, telling reporters: "When I'm leaving, I will say I'm leaving, but I didn't say that.
"We will see what happens. But I will not rule it out absolutely to extend my contract. I would love to stay.
"Nine years today at the same club is an eternity. So I want to be sure it's the right decision. Not just for me, for the club, for the players.
"Still they run like they ran for eight years, it doesn't matter the competition, it doesn't matter the tournament and this is what I have to see.
"I am sure eight more years I won't stay! It's good to refresh, for players and managers.
"At the same time we have had success and are still winning Premier Leagues, arriving in the last stages and playing competitions like the Champions League. This is my feeling right now."
Guardiola was speaking ahead of City facing Milan in the second match of their pre-season tour of the United States, to take place at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
City are one of two English teams – alongside Chelsea – to have qualified for next year's 32-team Club World Cup, to be held in the USA.
Asked whether he would like to return stateside with City for that tournament, Guardiola said: "I would love to. Yeah, I would love to."
Ederson slams reports of rift with Man City backup Ortega
Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City's penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later.
Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.
However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down those suggestions with a post to his Instagram story.
"I would like to clarify that the note published by The Athletic yesterday, referring to my alleged dissatisfaction with a co-worker, is completely false," he wrote.
"The alleged day reported was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult days of my career, when I suffered a fracture that prevented me from playing in the final stretch of the season and, consequently, from representing my country in the Copa America.
"At the time of the injury, my only thought was to continue in the match, defending City in the fight for the title.
"But the emotion of the match would be greater than the reality and, inevitably, I would not be able to continue as I would have liked due to the damage it caused, completely blocking my field of vision. I remain focused on preparing for the season."
Ederson has been linked with a transfer in recent days, reportedly attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
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