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Man City midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been pictured in full training for the first time since October.

Manager Pep Guardiola had said that the Croatian international was expected to make his return in the “last part of the season”, but his availability has come much earlier than anticipated.

Kovacic shared a video of himself on Instagram taking part in light training last month, so he was closing in on his comeback.

However, the picture released by Man City on Tuesday, which sees him tackling a ball, is a surprise.

Why had Kovacic been sidelined?

The 31-year-old underwent surgery in the summer to fix an issue with his Achilles, and he initially made his return in October, making brief substitute appearances against Everton and Villarreal (in the Champions League).

However, it soon became apparent that Kovacic hadn’t fully recovered from the operation. It was discovered that he had calcification in his ankle, and it required another lengthy layoff. That was four and a half months ago. Buy a Man City shirt from Puma UK here.

Guardiola is a big fan of the Man City midfielder

Speaking a couple of weeks ago about the injury, Guardiola openly admitted that Kovacic had been a big loss for the team, stating that they had “missed him a lot” this season.

Now, it appears that the Croatian could take part in the run-in. It’s unlikely that he will be starting games anytime soon, as he will need to build up his fitness after an extended period on the sidelines, but it is still a big boost for City.

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