Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is back in training, but manager Pep Guardiola warned that "he needs some time" to reach his "top level".
Kompany has played just three league games this season, and has not appeared since suffering knee-ligament damage against Crystal Palace on 19 November.
That was his 35th separate injury since joining City from Hamburg in 2008.
"We can't deny how good Vincent is, but to achieve that we need time," said Guardiola.
"Everybody needs time when they have been a long time injured, but his mentality is strong," he added.