Manchester City have been given a fitness boost ahead of their return to Premier League action, with several key players back in training at the CFA.
Pep Guardiola's squad was stretched to the limit before the international break and a four-game losing run coincided with the worst injury crisis the Catalan has had to deal with during his time at the Etihad. But City's first-team squad returned to training on Wednesday, and some notable faces were involved in the late afternoon session as the squad geared up for Saturday's Etihad clash with Tottenham.
John Stones was among those training, with the centre-back missing the last three fixtures with plantar fasciitis, while Manuel Akanji was involved. Akanji was on the bench against Brighton but pulled out of Switzerland's squad during the international break.
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The return of Stones and Akanji could be a timely boost to City's defensive numbers, with 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey starting the two games before the international break. Ruben Dias hasn't featured for City since October 30 as he battles a calf problem and wasn't among the players pictured during Wednesday's training session.
Three more players who pulled out of their international squads were involved in the session and look set to be available to face Tottenham on Saturday. Matheus Nunes, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish were all pictured taking part in the session.
Nunes and Foden played 90 minutes for the Blues against Brighton before withdrawing from the Portugal and England squads, respectively. Their presence in training suggests they were only
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