Manchester City FC

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Hughes upbeat on injured trio

04 Sep 2009 - 08:40:54

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Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has revealed that three injured members of his squad are nearing full fitness.

Roque Santa Cruz, Vincent Kompany and Michael Johnson have failed to feature in the first team so far this term.

Santa Cruz had knee surgery during the summer, while Kompany and Johnson have been sidelined by toe and abdominal problems respectively.

However, when asked about Paraguay international Santa Cruz's fitness, the City boss said: "He's desperate to play but we're holding him back a bit.

"When Roque is ready he'll be involved. We want to get him in a City shirt and out there playing because he's going to be a big asset to us.

"We're looking long term. If we introduced him too early we could still lose him on a longer basis. Roque understands our thinking over this. He's a bit frustrated but we'll all benefit from it.

"Vincent Kompany is pain-free and raring to go and we're positive about Michael Johnson. He's been out for a year. If we rush him back he could break down so we'll get him involved with the reserves to give him a base level of fitness.

"If we get him and the other two up and running in the next month or so it would be like three new signings for us."