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Navas ruled out of West Brom game

MANCHESTER -- Jesus Navas has been added to Manchester City’s injury list and will miss Monday’s match against West Bromwich Albion.

Curtis: Time for Pellegrini to face the music

The Capital One Cup winners are also without Yaya Toure, who is expected to miss their next two games with a muscle problem.

And David Silva, who sat out Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against Sunderland, is a doubt with an ankle injury.

Navas, who was not part of City’s squad for the Black Cats clash, has been struggling with an ankle problem he picked up in training two weeks ago.

“Yaya Toure, David Silva and Jesus Navas, the three of them are injured at the moment,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference.

Toure, who has scored 22 goals this season, could be fit for the trip to Everton on May 3.

“Yaya is improving but it is a muscle injury so it is difficult for him to be fit so soon,” Pellegrini added.

City are currently third in the Premier League and six points behind leaders Liverpool after failing to win either of their last two games.

However, Pellegrini believes there will be a few more twists and turns before the season is over.

“I am absolutely sure that the teams will drop more points also,” he said. “It can be Liverpool, Chelsea, the same way we dropped points in the last game. We have to play for another 15 points. We will try to win the most amount of points and at the end of the season we will see which team wins the title.”

Pellegrini came up against West Brom head coach Pepe Mel during their time together in La Liga, and he says he is an admirer of the Spaniard.

“I think he is a very good manager. He is a manager that wants to play attractive football,” he said. “He tries for his team to always have a lot of possession and have a very offensive game.”

Mel has had a difficult start to life at the Baggies, but Pellegrini feels he can flourish in the Premier League.

He said: “I think he is a very good manager and he works very well in Spain, and I am sure that here in England when he settles, he will be a very good manager also.”