Roberto Mancini has hinted he will be ready to select Carlos Tevez once he has a couple of weeks training under his belt.
It has been five months since Tevez refused to warm up during the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich, sparking a stand-off between himself and the Manchester City manager.
After facing disciplinary action the striker return to Argentina without the club's permission and remained there until earlier this month when he eventually flew back to Manchester looking to revive his career.
The 28-year-old finally issued an apology to Mancini and the Manchester City squad and he can expect to train with the first team after he meets the manager on Thursday.
Mancini is willing to accept Tevez' apology and he believes he can play a big role in the Premier League title race once he is fit to return to action.
"Carlos can't play in the Europa League but we will have four strikers for the Premier League and I think that will be good," he said.
"If we go through in the Europa League it will be important to have four strikers."
Tevez could face a hostile reception on his return to training but the manager is confident that it will not take him long to settle back in.
"I think Carlos knows the team very well. The team in the last six or seven months have played very well and is top of the Premier League," he went on.
"We know Carlos very well, he is a top striker. If he is good, I think he can do a good job in the next two months."
When asked about the apology, Mancini said: "I do not have any problem. I think he needs two to three weeks to train, then some games."