Manchester City assistant Pep Lijnders spoke of what they need in the title race with good news on the injury front

Ruben Dias will return to training next week for Manchester City as Pep Lijnders outlined what the team need to chase down Arsenal in the Premier League title race. Dias could be available to face Liverpool as early as next Sunday with positive news as well on Jeremy Doku.

Doku provided two assists to help City beat Galatasaray in the Champions League in midweek, but was forced off in the first half with another injury. The Belgian winger was making his first start since suffering a problem to his knee in the Manchester derby but had to come off.

Pep Guardiola said after that game that he hoped Doku would be fit again when they return to Champions League action in March, and the diagnosis on Friday was even more positive. While City will do their best to ensure Doku gets the rest he needs, he could be back in time to face Salford in the FA Cup or Newcastle in the Premier League.

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“First of all for Jeremy, I have to make a big compliment of how he played. A top team is defined by the individual quality of our form players and how he was constantly available between the lines and to attack, the first assist to Erling was unbelievable,” said Lijnders, filling in for his boss on media duties. “Sorry that he went out but now we look.

“It’s a similar injury to the last one, at that time it was on the lateral side and now it’s in the centre. The last one took 18 days, I presume this will be a little shorter. We have to take time but Jeremy is a robust player.”

Lijnders knows plenty about title races from his time as Jurgen Klopp’s assistant as Liverpool going up against City. They produced tallies of 92 points and 97 points and lost the league, but the Blues could get less and win it this year with Arsenal stuttering.

City are not in great form themselves but have been encouraged by Arsenal’s failure to get too far ahead. Ahead of their game at Tottenham, Lijnders said that the league leaders have to feel City when they play.

“It’s about us. I’ve been in a few titles race, it’s always about just focusing on the next game,” he said. “I know it’s a cheeky answer but you have to win your own games, create your own path and do things that you can control and with this you have to put pressure, chase and go behind them. They have to feel us and that is only by winning football matches.”