- Adwitya Jha
Manchester City provided quadruple fitness boost
Ahead of a tricky trip to Selhurst Park on Monday, Manchester City have been handed a welcome boost as they welcomed back Joao Cancelo, Nathan Ake, Cole Palmer, and Romeo Lavia from illness and injuries.
The City squad has been stretched in the recent weeks with injuries, particularly in the defensive department, with Ruben Dias out for the foreseeable future. Both Dias and Ake were taken off injured at half-time in the game against Peterborough, which left the Premier League leaders with only two fit senior centre-backs in the last two games. Ake's timely return to fitness is a welcome addition for Guardiola's side.
Joao Cancelo was absent from the Champions League second-leg tie against Sporting Lisbon due to illness. The game was essentially a dead rubber as City were almost home and dry after a five-nil victory in the first leg. City barely missed their talismanic left-back in that game, as Sporting barely laid a punch in the 0-0 encounter. But the Portuguese's return is a huge boost for City ahead of the Palace fixture, as he has been one of Guardiola's best players this season.
Also pictured in training today were EDS graduates Cole Palmer and Romeo Lavia. Cole Palmer has been sidelined for a lengthy period, with his last appearance for City coming against Swindon Town in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. After his impressive showing against Swindon, City will be glad to welcome back the 19-year-old as another impressive option to bring off the bench in the coming games.
UPDATE: Shot stopper Zack Steffen has also been pictured in training today – the American international has spent a number of weeks on the sidelines with an injury.
Written by: @adwitya16
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