Manchester City news: Vincent Kompany takes significant step forward on the road to recovery

The skipper has been out since May after undergoing a thigh operation but was able to take part in a recent training game at City’s Football Academy

Vincent Kompany is nearing a return to Premier League football after four months of absence (Getty)

Vincent Kompany took another significant step forward on his road to recovery after participating in a recent Manchester City training match.

Kompany has been out since May after undergoing a thigh operation but was able to take part in the game at City’s Football Academy.

The 30-year-old successfully played both 25-minute halves of the match, proving to manager Pep Guardiola that he is nearing a return to match fitness.

Summer signings Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan also featured in the practice match with neither yet to make an appearance for City’s first-team as they set about rebuilding their own fitness.

Sane was granted an extended break having starred at Euro 2016 for Germany while Gundogan continues to recover from a dislocated kneecap.

The duo could both be considered for next weekend’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford, as will new-signing Claudio Bravo who completed his move to the Etihad Stadium in the final week of the transfer window.

But the sight of captain Kompany in action during the training match will have brought the biggest smile to City’s fans.

The Belgian international endured a hugely frustrating season last year as a succession of injuries sidelined the defender for weeks on end.

At one point serious questions were asked over the long-term career prospects of the defender as he struggled to fight back against a number of debilitating injuries.

Kompany has made just five Premier League appearances this calendar year and was forced off just 10 minutes into the second leg of City’s 1-0 Champions League semi-final defeat to eventual winners Real Madrid in May.

The thigh injury he sustained that night has kept the Belgium international out of the game for the last four months.

Kompany sustained his most recent injury during City's Champions League clash against Real Madrid last May (Getty Images) (2016 Getty Images)

But after a prolonged rehabilitation programme, the captain is close to making his long-awaited return.

Nonetheless, it’s expected Kompany will not start for City until after the Manchester derby.

It’s understood that Guardiola is reluctant to throw his captain into a game of such high intensity and is thus expected to start with Jon Stones and Aleksandar Kolarov in central defence.

After coming through the training game, Kompany was given two days off by City and has since flown to Belgium to join up with his national team-mates and their new manager, former Everton boss Roberto Martinez.

Kompany was not included in the squad to face Spain in Thursday night's friendly but sought to touch base with the national side in light of the recent overhauls made to the coaching team.