Zimmermann proud to wear City’s armband during absence of experienced team-mates

The big centre-back was named stand-in skipper for a second successive game in the continuing injury absence of Alex Tettey and Timm Klose, with Grant Hanley still on the bench.

While the 26-year-old knows those more senior men have first dibs on the armband, it continues his rise from the fourth tier of German football, where he captained Borussia Dortmund II for Daniel Farke.

'It does certainly mean a lot and it does make me proud to wear the armband, but we have got several players out, some on the bench, some injured,' Zimmermann said.'It's certainly a nice thing to do but it's not the most important thing in the world.

'I captained Dortmund's second team in the last season before I was here, so there needs to be at least a bit of faith in my character, otherwise he (Farke) wouldn't have chosen me back then and now here. Of course I'm not captain of the team, that's Grant, then Tetts, then Timm and so on!'

Christoph Zimmermann has been captain during City's last two matches Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images (Image: Paul Chesterton)

The popular defender admitted the City players were frustrated to let a lead slip twice during Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Sheffield United – but was pleased to keep the Blades three points adrift in third place.

'It is certainly disappointing, when you are up twice against such a strong side,' he continued. 'If you had been down 2-1 and then equalised, everybody would have been happy, but with how the game developed we are disappointed.

'If you judge it objectively a point is not too bad against a direct opposition who keep their distance (in the table) – but three points would have been massive.'

MORE: City defender satisfied with a point after difficult Blades battle

Zimmermann admits that was why City didn't go all out for the win in the final stages as well, adding: 'I think the first two or three minutes after we conceded the equaliser we had to be careful because Sheffield were on top of us then, they had the momentum.

'But from the 82nd minute or so of the game we tried to control it to get some chances, I know we didn't risk everything to win the game because there was too much on it to lose it. So we took the point and tried to control the game so that we got at least a point and if the chance came to go for three then we would have gone for it, but if we had lost they would be sitting ahead of us in the table now.'