Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte is edging closer towards a return to action and the latest images of him in training have sparked widespread excitement amongst the club’s loyal supporters. The Frenchman has been unavailable since September following a serious knee injury for which he required surgery.
However, the 25-year-old is now back in training and slowly working his way back to fitness. He is expected to be available for selection at some point in February, just in time for the Champions League knockout stages and the fans can’t wait to see him back.
After Man City Xtra posted the images of the £67.5m-rated ace (as per TransferMarkt) on Twitter, it appeared to send a number of their followers into a state of meltdown.
Can Laporte help City to Champions League glory?
Yes
No
Got his boots on ???? not long now
— laporteswand (@laporteswand) January 3, 2020
Things you love to see ????
— ??Phumi?? (@PhomelloMCFC) January 3, 2020
Jeehhhh??
— ellie?? (@Elliemaew13) January 3, 2020
Great news
— Andrew Rollason (@rollason_andrew) January 3, 2020
???
— S? (@wacz21) January 3, 2020
????
— MUNENE (@munene_pm) January 3, 2020
What do we think?
Aymeric Laporte is can almost be seen as a definite upgrade on the rest of Manchester City’s central-defensive options, therefore, there is no doubt his return will come as a huge boost to his coach Pep Guardiola. However, it’s important to remember that when recovering from an injury as severe as this, there are likely to be bumps along the road and it could be months before we see the best of the Frenchman again.
Guardiola is an experienced coach and will be well aware of the long journey Laporte faces ahead of him but it’s also imperative the fans are understanding of the former Athletic Bilbao defenders situation and display patience as he works his way back to his peak form.