Manchester City  hero  Kelechi Iheanacho  has declared the Blues’ slump is nothing to do with  Pep Guardiola’s football philosophy.

The striker popped up with the equalising goal as a second half substitute, and nearly sparked a badly-needed City win, before it  ended 1-1 against Southampton.

Asked if some fans were right to lose faith in Guardiola’s system, Iheanacho replied: “There is no problem – we need to get our heads straight and focus on the next games.

“The fans need to know that we are football players, but we are human beings as well. We didn’t come from a different planet – we are of this world.

“I know the fans expect a lot from us, as players, but we are capable of losing and drawing as well as winning. There are a lot of games to go, so they need to have patience and get behind us.

“We’ll get there soon and make them proud.”

Now City aim to end their winless run at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup derby after cruising to a 2-1 win there in September, but Iheanacho warned it will be tougher this time.

“We haven’t won in five games now, but it is a game of football, and this can happen. We need to head straight and focus on the derby that is coming,” he said.