Johnson nears City return
10 Jan 2008 - 14:17:45
Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson hopes to have midfielder Michael Johnson back in contention in the near future.
The 19-year-old England Under-21 international has been sidelined for nearly a month by an abdominal injury, but is now back in training and nearing a return to action.
Eriksson said: "Michael has started running outside again so, hopefully, he will be ready in a couple of weeks.
"Of course, it was a concern because he was operated on and then, three games later, the injury came back.
"But the situation looks better than it did one or two weeks ago, but we expect him to be okay soon."
Meanwhile, Eriksson has confirmed that City are taking a look at Iraq midfielder Nashat Akram, who currently plays for Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates.
"He reminds me a bit of Michael Johnson, in that he can do a little bit of everything in both attack and defence," Eriksson added.
"I think he is one for the future, I'm not sure if he's ready to play this season but I've seen him train and he's good."