Nathan Ake spotted in Manchester City training photos amid injury uncertainty

Manchester City supporters may be welcoming back Nathan Ake to their starting line-ups sooner than expected, following a new development concerning the Dutchman.

Pep Guardiola’s first-choice option in the left-back position has been ruled out for the last two matches having sustained a hamstring problem during the 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena earlier this month.

Thankfully for Manchester City, the Netherlands international’s absence has not cost them results, having cruised past Sheffield United 3-0 in an FA Cup semi-final, before moving past Premier League title challengers 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

Nevertheless the presence of Nathan Ake will be essential to any success garnered by Manchester City on the trophies front this season, with the ever-impressive Etihad club challenging for a possible treble in the weeks that remain.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of a trip to Craven Cottage on Sunday evening, Pep Guardiola was asked to deliver an update on Ake, to which he responded, “He’s much better.”

He continued, “The player knows his body and the reaction. He’s still not training with the team. I think it won’t be long, but maybe tomorrow comes and the trainer says he’s not training, but I think not.”

However, in a more promising development, social media users over on Twitter have spotted Nathan Ake accompanying his Manchester City teammates inside the gym at the club’s City Football Academy training base on Thursday morning.

Players who starred in the 4-1 victory over Arsenal the day prior took part in a recovery session before a day off on Friday ahead of the weekend’s trip to the capital to take on Marco Silva’s Fulham side.

Fans can expect Nathan Ake to be absent from that clash, however he could make a return to the matchday squad as soon as the home tie against West Ham United on Wednesday night, before perhaps featuring in some capacity against Leeds next weekend.