Willy Caballero relishing first-team opportunity at Manchester City

Willy Caballero says he "feels alive" after replacing Claudio Bravo in goal for Manchester City.

The 35-year-old started the season as City's No 1 goalkeeper, starting their first three Premier League matches after Joe Hart was frozen out by Pep Guardiola.

However, Bravo's arrival from Barcelona resigned Caballero to just seven appearances since August 28, all of which have come in cup competitions.

But his absence from the league ended on February 1 when he replaced an underperforming Bravo for City's 4-0 victory at West Ham.

That was followed by a dramatic victory over Swansea last weekend as Caballero extended his 100 per cent win record in the Premier League this season - the only goalkeeper to have won every game.

And, having bided his time, the Argentine is thriving off his new-found challenge of being the all-round goalkeeper under Guardiola.

"It's fantastic," he told Sky Sports. "I started the season playing but when Claudio arrived I thought he was going to be No 1. He played a lot good games.

"Before the game with West Ham I had a meeting with the manager and he told me he put me in the starting XI."

Asked if he enjoyed playing out from the back, Caballero added: "When I stated playing as a kid the centre-back would pass to me and I couldn't catch it.

"Now we are in a constant state of evolution; we have to catch crosses, play well with feet and try to build our situation. That is fantastic.

"It's both exciting and scary, I feel my heart and skin when I receive a ball. Of course I'm excited and scared but those emotions make me feel alive."

Caballero's return to the first-team fold has provided the stability on which City have strengthened their bid for Champions League qualification in recent weeks.

The reassuring presence at the back and calmness in possession has played a role in City sensation Gabriel Jesus' rapid adaption to the Premier League.

"He is dynamic, he is fast and has quality," Caballero said. "He is going to be very important for us.

"I'm not surprised by how good he is because we have a lot of information and the Argentine players played against him in World Cup qualification.

"(Fellow Brazilians) Fernandinho and Fernando know him a lot too, so we had a lot of information on him."

Jesus' arrival has seen Sergio Aguero endure a frustrating spell on the sidelines, but Caballero is hopeful the pair will torment defences together, adding: "Kun is an historic player at Manchester City.

"I can see he is angry because he wants to play, he wants to take opportunities and score.