Nicolas Otamendi has insisted that Manchester City teammate Eliaquim Mangala is well suited to Premier League football as he came to the defence of his centre-back partner.
Argentina international Otamendi joined Manchester City for £31.5 million in the summer transfer window, reuniting him with former Porto teammate Mangala.
The pair are set to start Wednesday's Capital One Cup semifinal first leg against Everton, and in-form striker Romelu Lukaku, at Goodison Park, as captain Vincent Kompany remains sidelined.
Otamendi insisted that the Frenchman, who has been criticised for his performances since his £42 million move in 2014, has developed since they were together in Portugal.
He told The Independent: "Any team would miss Vinny. He is a top player, he is aggressive on the pitch and he has been a big loss for us.
"We hope to get him back as quickly as possible and that anyone the manager puts in to replace him can stay solid during that time. The games I played together with Vinny, I really enjoyed the partnership, both in the derby against Manchester United and in the Champions League against Sevilla.
"I felt we were developing something there. He is obviously a top player and he helps us a great deal when he is on the pitch."
City's 0-0 draw with Leicester was the only time this season they have kept a clean sheet without Kompany.
"But recently, I have been playing with Mangala and he is a top player too," Otamendi added. "He is young, but he is developing as a professional and also as a personality -- I can see that on the pitch. He was different when I played with him at Porto. He was a lot more aggressive on the pitch, but I think he has developed since then and is a good fit for the Premier League.
"But Mangala, me, [Martin] Demichelis and Kompany, we all have to learn from the errors that we make. It is not specific to one individual. There is no such thing as a perfect centre-back, and sometimes, when you let a goal in, it is nobody's fault, especially if the other team has scored a good one."