Manchester City's Aguero returns to training

Manchester City's hopes of retaining its Premier League title received a major boost Thursday with Sergio Aguero's return to training.

Aguero, who was joined by injured striker Edin Dzeko in his return to training, has not appeared in a match since injuring his knee on Dec. 6 against Everton. He appears to be on track for a return during the original 4-to-6 weeks that doctors said he needed to recover.

The Argentine striker displayed his world class form before suffering the injury, scoring 19 goals in 17 matches, and was named the Premier League's player of the month for November.

With Yaya Toure's impending absence from the club for the next six weeks because of international obligations with the Ivory Coast during the African Cup of Nations, the possible return of Aguero and Dzeko will be a major boost for the club as they get set for critical matches against Arsenal and Chelsea on Jan. 18 and 31, respectively.

City currently sit level with Chelsea for top spot in the Premier League with 46 points through 20 matches.