David Albelda

CITY fans might have to wait until next season before they see the best of Valeri Bojinov.

The Bulgarian striker, who has managed less than an hour's competitive football after his £6m switch from Fiorentina in the summer, has been out since the August derby victory over United in which he sustained serious knee damage after just eight minutes.

He has now returned to training but progress is necessarily slow and assistant boss Hans Backe admits that there are no immediate first-team plans for the 21-year-old.

"Valeri had his first session on Wednesday and I don't know if I am being a little pessimistic or not but with the kind of injury he has had I am inclined to think that he will not be fully fit until the summer," he reported.

"If we are lucky he may be ready more quickly but we don't want to push it and experience says that with that kind of injury it takes some months to come back to games even after returning to training."

Backe admits that he cannot wait for Bojinov to return to the fray and can sense the desire in the player to make his comeback.

He also believes the Blues will get a versatile forward when the Bulgarian, who used to ply his trade in Italy, does return.

"It will be a big boost for us when he is back because you can see how hungry he is in each session that he takes part in," declared Sven's number two.

"He was like that in the gym and with reserves and now with us for the first time this week. He is very lively and his injury was a shame.

"Bojinov can play down the middle on his own, has played in Serie A wide left and wide right and can also be a second striker. We could use him in three or four different positions. He will be an important player."

So too will England Under-21 international Michael Johnson, although the youngster is unlikely to be back until the middle of February as he recovers from an abdominal problem.

"Michael's injury is exactly the same as West Ham's Craig Bellamy and he was out for eight weeks so there is a little way to go yet," reported Backe.

There was even better news of Belgian striker Emile Mpenza who is back in full training after being given a couple of weeks off by Sven-Goran Eriksson following a series of niggling problems.

"He trained on Wednesday and is fully fit. If he stays that way then he will be in contention for the trip to Sheffield on Sunday," concluded Backe.