Shearer: Saving shots is not part of Bravo's skill set

Claudio Bravo will not be winning Manchester City points as "the very best do", says former England international Alan Shearer.

In fact, the ex-Newcastle United striker believes that the summer signing from Barcelona could end up costing Pep Guardiola’s side.

Bravo was brought in to replace Joe Hart, with it decided that City needed a ball-playing goalkeeper to fit their new style.

The Chilean has struggled to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, though, and has faced regular criticism since making his debut in a derby date with Manchester United.

Shearer argues that the 33-year-old lacks the shot-stopping skills required to aid a title challenge, with his last two outings against Chelsea and Leicester City seeing several efforts which should have been kept out find the net.

"To get them to play like Barcelona and Bayern, they needed a keeper with a different skill set ,it seemed, so in came Claudio Bravo," Shearer said in The Sun of Guardiola's change in philosophy.

"He certainly does have a different skill set but saving shots does not seem to be part of it.

"After the last two games there are now even bigger question marks over the signing of Bravo.

"For me, a top stopper saves Chelsea's second goal from Willian the previous weekend and they would most certainly get to Andy King's second goal for Leicester City on Saturday.

“They would also have made it a lot tougher for [Jamie] Vardy's second goal where Bravo neither came far enough or stayed back and made up the striker's mind.

"When it comes to shot-stopping, of the last 20 he has had to save, 10 have gone in. In the last two matches, it is seven from 10. This is not a goalkeeper who is going to earn you points in the same way the very best do."

Defeat at the King Power Stadium over the weekend has left City perched in fourth place in the Premier League table.

They are now seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea, while those chasing a top-four finish below them have moved to within striking distance.

Tottenham are just three points off the pace, while victory over Spurs at Old Trafford on Sunday means that Manchester United are only six points behind their arch-rivals.