David Silva should be back in a week

Manchester City have been boosted by the news that David Silva could return from injury sooner than expected.

The Blues playmaker suffered a hamstring injury while away on international duty - pulling up after only 10 minutes of Spain's 1-1 World Cup qualifier against France.

There were fears the 26-year-old could face a lengthy lay-off but manager Roberto Mancini has delivered a positive assessment of the player's fitness.

Silva will definitely miss Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash at West Brom and Wednesday's vital Champions League encounter with Ajax but could face Swansea the following Saturday.

Mancini said: "He is not ready for tomorrow, and will not be for the Champions League, but we hope for the next game against Swansea."

England players Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott and James Milner returned to City later than expected after their World Cup qualifier in Poland was put back from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Despite the disruption to his preparations, Mancini has no concerns about their condition.

The Italian said: "The English players who played on Wednesday are tired but I am not worried, they have another day to recover."

Source: DailyMirror