Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed Argentina striker Sergio Aguero could return from injury in the League Cup final against Sunderland on Sunday.
Aguero has missed City’s last five games with a hamstring problem, but he returned to training earlier this week with an eye on a comeback at Wembley.
His potential inclusion gives City a huge lift with the Argentine having scored 26 goals this season before limping out of the 5-1 win at Tottenham on January 29.
Pellegrini, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, said: “Of course it is very important for the team to have Sergio again with us because he is a very important player.”
The City boss would not confirm whether Aguero would be fit enough to start however and he added: “It is something I must decide from Saturday.
“I will see the way he recovers from the work this week, if he is 100 per cent fit after his injury to play the whole match.”
Aguero’s fellow forward Stevan Jovetic, who has had little luck with injuries since joining City in a £22million move from Fiorentina last year, has been ruled out of Sunday’s final.
The Montenegro international came off the bench during last week’s 1-0 win over Stoke only to go off again with a hamstring problem.
Defender Matija Nastasic, who has missed four games with a knee injury, is also sidelined.
Meanwhile, Pellegrini expects his players to have learnt from last year’s Wembley nightmare when they face underdogs Sunderland.
Pellegrini was still at Malaga when heavy favourites City suffered a shock FA Cup final defeat against Wigan and the Chilean is keen to ensure there is no repeat this time.
Pellegrini is not interested in looking back at what went wrong for City under previous boss Roberto Mancini on that day, but he does think the players could take extra motivation from it.
“I don’t like to talk with them about what happened last year but I am sure for every player it is a lesson,” he said.
“It is very beautiful to play for a title at Wembley and very awful to lose it.
“For all of them it is not revenge — it is another team, another year, another situation — but I am absolutely sure all will be 100 per cent motivated to win.
“We have played play a very good League Cup because we have won all the games, scored 19 goals and conceded just one. I think it is very important to win the cup and the way we play.”