Manchester City have received a major fitness boost on Thursday with the return of Erling Haaland to training, club photos have revealed.
The Norway international forward has missed the last two games through a foot injury, but now looks to be back in contention for the weekend's fixture.
Haaland was withdrawn at half-time of the Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund last week, and remained out of the matchday squad against both Leicester and Sevilla.
Further assessment upon returning from Germany last week revealed that the former Dortmund forward had avoided any serious injury to his foot, but City boss Pep Guardiola admitted that the striker had sustained ligament damage.
Advert
The absence of Erling Haaland hasn't been felt too significantly, and Manchester City registered victories at the King Power Stadium and at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Nevertheless, his return to Pep Guardiola's first-team squad this week will come as a major boost.
Erling Haaland was spotted in first-team training alongside Manuel Akanji - who also appeared to have sustained an injury concern in recent games.
The Swiss international defender was withdrawn in the 0-1 win against Leicester last Saturday, but looks to have recovered from what was initially feared to be a muscular injury.
Akanji's importance to the City side has been great since his arrival in the summer, and with rest and rotation imperative to Pep Guardiola's planning across the three games before the World Cup, his return will be a huge boost to all concerned.
Manchester City return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon.
The English top-flight champions host newly-promoted and impressive outfit Fulham at the Etihad Stadium, as they look to continue to pile on the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.
Elsewhere on the fitness front, Kalvin Phillips will be hoping to stake a claim for either a start or some sort of involvement against Marco Silva's side ahead of the looming World Cup in Qatar.
The England international midfielder has recovered from shoulder surgery undertaken several weeks ago now - a problem that had been persistent since leaving Leeds United for Manchester City.
However, Kyle Walker remains sidelined as he faces a race to return to fitness ahead of the 2022 edition of the world's most watched international tournament.
Walker underwent groin surgery following a problem sustained in the Manchester derby.
Manchester City take on Fulham in a 3PM kick-off (BST), in the first of three remaining games before the pause for the FIFA World Cup.
Topics: Erling Haaland, Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Freddie Pye