Wayne Bridge is eyeing Manchester City's home encounter with Blackburn on September 11 to make his eagerly-awaited seasonal bow.
Bridge has been out of action since pre-season, when he suffered a broken foot. The slog towards recovery has been a painful one for the former England defender, who did not want to push himself too hard for fear of causing further problems.
"Hopefully I can slot back in and not find training too hard when I get back then it will be fingers crossed for Blackburn," Bridge told www.mcfc.co.uk.
The 30-year-old is still not entirely pain free, however, he is starting to feel more confident now about applying some pressure.
And, if all goes well, he could be in contention for the visit of Sam Allardyce's men to Eastlands immediately after the current international break.
"It has been frustrating because it is one of those where you have to wait in case the fracture gets worse," Bridge added.
"But the injury has seemed a lot better over the past few days and I should be back in training either some time this week or next.
"I have been working hard doing bike work, rowing and a bit of boxing, so I feel fit.
Bridge has been wearing shoes two sizes too big in order to ensure he did not put any extra pressure on the injury, although for a professional athlete, sedentary exercise has not been easy to accept.
"I just want to get back on my feet," he said. "I have been sitting in an oxygen tank, sitting on a rower, sitting on a bike. It's getting a bit annoying - I feel like I've been kicked up the backside sometimes."
Source: PA
