Stevan Jovetic has been replaced by new £28m signing Wilfried Bony in the Manchester City squad for the Champions League.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini has opted for striker Bony ahead of Montenegro international forward Jovetic in his 21-man squad that was submitted to UEFA.
The arrival of Ivory Coast international Bony from Swansea in January meant City had one more foreign player in their squad than they are permitted to register for European competition.
Governing body UEFA published City's revised squad for the second half of the season on Thursday and Jovetic's name was not included.
The decision by manager Manuel Pellegrini to leave out Jovetic means that he will continue to be restricted to just three senior strikers for the remainder of the competition – now Bony, Sergio Aguero and Dzeko.
But given 25-year-old Jovetic's limited involvement during 19 often injury-troubled months at City, Pellegrini – despite a looming Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona – has maybe decided it is a sacrifice worth
making.
Jovetic, who missed large spells last season with calf and hamstring problems, has scored just 11 goals since his £22m move from Fiorentina in 2013 and this latest setback will raise doubts over his long-term City future.
The issue has arisen because City, as punishment for breaching UEFA's Financial Fair Play restrictions, are restricted to naming just 16 foreign players in their squad rather than the usual 17.
