Valeri Bojinov

Valeri Bojinov is hoping he has returned a better player as the Manchester City striker steps up his comeback.

The Bulgaria international suffered a serious knee injury on his first start for City in the derby with Manchester United last August.

There were fears he could miss the rest of the season, but Bojinov made a goalscoring return for City's reserves against Newcastle last Monday.

He was buoyed to be back on the pitch again and has paid tribute to the club's medical team for helping him to overcome the injury.

"I'm very happy because after five months out since my injury, my first game went well," Bojinov told the club's official website.

"I scored my first goal for Manchester City as well, which was very important for me.

"I only played 30 minutes, but I hope to play for maybe 45 in the next one, and then a full 90 minutes after that.

"The physios have made me work very hard for the last few months, but I thank them for helping me so much because I know how important it was to get me fit enough before I could play again like I did at Newcastle.

"This has been my first serious injury, but I knew soon after it happened that I could return and be a better player as well."