Toure limped off in the first half of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield and manager Manuel Pellegrini said after the game that he feared his campaign had been curtailed.
However, the Chilean now believes the Ivory Coast international could be back for the final three games of the season, including the potentially crucial clash with Everton at Goodison Park.
“Yaya has a muscle injury,” Pellegrini said at a news conference. “We will see with the doctor how many days [he is out for]. Maybe it is not so bad as we thought at the beginning but I think he needs at least 10 days or two weeks to recover.”
Toure is set to miss Wednesday’s home game against Sunderland and the encounters with West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace.
But if he is out for a fortnight, he should be fit to return for the trip to high-flying Everton on May 3, before City face Aston Villa and West Ham in the final week of the season.
City have no new other injury worries for the meeting with Sunderland as Sergio Aguero, who made his comeback as a substitute at Anfield after five matches out with a hamstring injury, came through the game unscathed.
And captain Vincent Kompany, who injured his knee in training on Saturday but who played the full 90 minutes at Anfield, is also available.
Pellegrini added: “Vincent is OK. He is fit. He is in the squad list. Sergio is in the squad list also. We will see tomorrow [Wednesday] the 11 starters.”
City beat Sunderland 3-1 in the Capital One Cup final last month but Pellegrini insists that will have no bearing on Wednesday’s match.
“Different moments, different games,” he added. “I don’t think one thing has a relation with the other.”
The City manager believes Sunderland’s position at the foot of the table is more relevant, saying: “Always playing against a team in the relegated position is very difficult for the team. They are in a difficult moment but I am sure they will try to fight to the end to continue in the Premier League.”
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