Five Manchester City stars return from injury concerns ahead of Arsenal clash | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has been boosted by five returning stars from injury concerns as Manchester City began their training ground preparations for Arsenal on Thursday.

The Manchester City manager will likely have watched the most recent international break with his head in his hands as up to seven first-team stars originally returned to club duties with fitness concerns hanging over them.

While Kyle Walker and John Stones continue to face a race to be fit for Sunday afternoon’s meeting with Arsenal, a list of seven names with fitness doubts attached to them has been reduced to just the two aforementioned profiles.

That is after the Premier League champions returned to undergo their first training session in a big week for the club, with top-flight title challengers Arsenal visiting the Etihad Stadium this weekend in a game that neither side will want to lose.

According to the information of Sky Sports News, present at the City Football Academy on Thursday, a total of five members of the Manchester City contingent with injury concerns looming over them were present in training.

It has been confirmed that all of Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Manuel Akanji, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes took part in Pep Guardiola’s first training session back following the international break over the last fortnight.

Arsenal is the first of several high-profile fixtures for Manchester City across a period of 30 days, as the club compete in three different competitions and face a number of away trips that will certainly test the Treble winners’ capabilities to the very maximum.

Back-to-back Premier League fixtures will follow the meeting with Arsenal this weekend, as City host Aston Villa and travel to Crystal Palace in early April, before immediately turning attentions back to the UEFA Champions League and a trip to Real Madrid.

An FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium will follow the Champions League quarter-final double-header against the Spanish capital side, before away visits to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest close out the month.