Manchester City have been handed a huge boost ahead of Sunday's Premier League title decider with the return of defensive duo Kyle Walker and John Stones.
Walker, 31, has not played since coming off injured in City's dramatic 3-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in the Bernabeu on May 4, which saw them knocked out. Stones, 27, has not featured since the 4-3 first-leg win over Los Blancos on April 26, when he was forced off after 36 minutes with a recurrence of an ongoing muscular issue.
But both have returned to training ahead of Sunday's final league game of the season, at home to Aston Villa, with City needing a win to confirm a fourth league title in five years. Pep Guardiola's side hold a one-point lead over Liverpool with one game left to play and the Spaniard's options have been strengthened with the return of Walker and Stones.
Guardiola initially ruled the two defenders out for the season and his woes were compounded as Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake joined them in the treatment room. This left the City defence threadbare with Fernandinho required to play at centre-half alongside Aymeric Laporte while Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko lined up in the full-back slots.
However, in a major boost ahead of Villa's visit this weekend, Walker and Stones were filmed taking part in training on Thursday, meaning they have a realistic chance of featuring in the season finale. The news is less rosy regarding Dias, who has not returned to training due to a thigh injury picked up against Newcastle in early May.
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Walker has refused to give up hope in his race for fitness and spoke of his desire to play against Villa before Sunday's 2-2 draw at West Ham. The former Tottenham star was rushed back for the second leg against Real Madrid and suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury he sustained against Atletico.
"I wouldn't say [my ankle's] perfect, obviously it's had two very bad injuries in two games but I'm hoping," Walker told BBC Radio 5live . "I've still got hope until the end of the season, until that whistle goes in 90 minutes at the Etihad against Aston Villa, that's when I'll say my season is over and have a little bit of a rest.
"Well, a week hopefully before I join up with England but I've still got hope for tomorrow, I've still got hope for next week, as I say, until the season's done I'll [not] be done."
