Manchester City full-back Benjamin Mendy has reportedly stepped up his recovery from a knee ligament injury.
The France international has been sidelined since September after rupturing his cruciate during a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace, bringing a premature end to his bright start at the club.
However, the Manchester Evening News reports that he is already moving his knee with almost complete freedom once again and is ready to take the next step in his recovery.
City are hopeful that the 23-year-old will resume full training in March and then be available for Pep Guardiola during the closing stages of the season.
The report claims that Mendy could even be in line to feature in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, should City progress past Basel in the last 16.
Guardiola has been forced to rotate between Danilo and Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back in recent weeks after previous makeshift Fabian Delph joined Mendy in the treatment room.
Barney Corkhill
