Soccer:Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will accept Carlos Tevez's apology and the Argentinian could be back in action in "two or three weeks". Tevez yesterday said sorry for his conduct in recent months having returned to Manchester from his unauthorised three-month break in South America last week.

The 28-year-old striker had been in dispute with the club since he refused to warm up during last September’s infamous Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich. Mancini did not respond to the apology until after tonight’s Europa League game against Porto but the path would now seem clear for Tevez to rejoin the first-team squad and he could play once match-fit.

Mancini said: “He has apologised, I do not have any problem. Tomorrow I will meet him before training and after he can start to work with us. I think he maybe needs two or three weeks to find good form and after, if he is okay, he will play, like the other players.”

Tevez was given his own fitness programme when he reported back to the club’s Carrington training base last Tuesday. He has not yet met Mancini as the Italian flew to Portugal last Wednesday for the first leg against Porto and then gave the squad time off over an inactive weekend.

Tevez also sparked further controversy just before he returned by claiming Mancini treated him “like a dog” in Munich. It seemed that may have inflamed the situation as Mancini said he would not speak about Tevez again for the rest of the season.

But the Italian had previously suggested Tevez could play again if he apologised and the former Manchester United player could now play a role in the title race. City lead the Premier League by two points with 13 games remaining and Tevez’s availability now gives Mancini the option of the club’s leading scorer for the past two seasons.

Tevez was also the inspirational captain behind last year’s FA Cup success and Mancini is confident he will easily fit back in despite the team’s progress without him.

Mancini said: “I think Carlos knows the team very well. The team in the last six or seven months have played very well and is top of the Premier League. We know Carlos very well, he is a top striker. If he is good, I think he can do a good job in the next two months.”