Petrov nearing a return

Manchester City have been boosted by the news that Martin Petrov is back in training as the season approaches its business end.

The Bulgarian winger has been sidelined for most of the season after sustaining knee ligament damage in a World Cup qualifier back in October.

But City boss Mark Hughes confirmed the 30-year-old is now back in training and is close to a return.

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It is excellent news that all appears to be going well with Petrov's rehab and he is coming back at what is very crucial time for us, something that was echoed by Mark Hughes:

"You can introduce that energy and enthusiasm those players will have on their return.

"Sometimes in a long, hard season there's a dip, and you'll see that in certain players. If you've got the option just to take them out of the firing line, that's great to have.

"We've got players who are itching to get back into the side and that's going to be a real boost."

Given the importance of our games at present though, it will be difficult to see Petrov getting much first team action solely for the sake of easing him back in - especially so given how long it takes to recover sharpness following an injury of this nature.

Still, he will be a great weapon to have on the bench and could be vital in helping turn a game or two in our favour.