Manchester City vs Leicester City: Vincent Kompany back in training with first team after six-week lay-off

Manchester City have been handed a welcome boost ahead of their clash against Premier League title challengers and league leader Leicester City on Saturday (6 February) after Vincent Kompany returned to first-team training. The Belgian defender has been struggling with calf problems throughout the season and made his last appearance against Sunderland on Boxing Day.

"Vincent Kompany's given the City squad a welcome boost by returning to first team training following a six-week lay-off," a statement on City's official site read.

The midfielder's comeback against Sunderland on Boxing Day lasted just nine minutes as he suffered a similar injury that had kept him out for the previous five matches. Manuel Pellegrini is likely to be extra cautious about fielding his skipper, who will be a massive player for the title-chasing club in the second half of the season.

Kompany has played just nine games this season and has not started a game since 3 November's Champions League clash against Sevilla. The Etihad Stadium outfit, who are in second place in the Premier League, three points behind Leicester, have struggled without their skipper, with seven of their eight defeats coming during his absence from the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, City goalkeeper Joe Hart has praised teammate Sergio Aguero ahead of their clash against the Foxes, while also paying tribute to Jamie Vardy, who is the league leading goalscorer and the man leading Leicester's title charge, which the big guns are now beginning to take seriously.

"He's [Aguero] a phenomenal player, he's a killer. He got one chance, stuck it in the corner and won us the game," Hart said of the striker's goal following their win over Sunderland on Tuesday (2 February), as quoted by the Mirror.

When asked about their plans to stop high-flying Vardy, the England international stopper added: "The same way we dealt with him when we played at their place. He's a top player and he's really on top of his game at the moment but we've got the same and we look forward to the challenge. He's doing well, but we're going to look to stop him."