Aymeric Laporte is closing in on a return for Manchester City after training with the first-team squad.
Laporte has not played since suffering knee ligament damage during the first-half of City's 4-0 defeat to Brighton at the Etihad Stadium.
But City boss Pep Guardiola revealed central defender Laporte has joined in sessions with the first-team squad and could be back in full training by the end of next week.
"Yesterday was the first time he trained, for 10 or 15 minutes, again today," said Guardiola.
"He’s getting better, he feels good.
"I think in the next week he’ll complete all the training sessions with us."
Asked when he expects Laporte to return to action for City, Guardiola said: "It will be dictated by how he feels, it’s more than four months out.
"He won’t be able to play 90 minutes straight away, it’s a process. The same with Leroy [Sane].
"I’m grateful for the physios and the guys who have been with him.”
Guardiola said he also expects Fernandinho, out of contract at the end of this season, to sign a new deal with City.
Midfielder Fernandinho has been filling in at centre-back for City for the past few months and Guardiola said the 35-year-old does not need to convince him he deserves a new deal.
"He didn’t have to convince me, he convinced me on day one of the three years together," said Guardiola.
"He doesn’t do anything special.
"He knows the opinion we have about what he’s done at the club, he's one of the greatest players this club has had in the whole history."
