CARLOS TEVEZ’S aspirations of returning to Manchester United as a Manchester City player and demonstrating to his old club that they should have done more to accommodate him are in serious jeopardy because of a knee injury he suffered on international duty with Argentina.

Tevez returned to Manchester yesterday for intensive treatment but the signs are looking ominous if the early judgment of the Argentinian football federation is correct, namely that he will be out for up to three weeks.

The striker has damaged knee ligaments and, though Mark Hughes described him as “desperate” to figure at Old Trafford next weekend, the City manager also made it clear he would not take any risks with the player’s fitness. “You can imagine how determined he is to play but I’m not going to compromise him for any longer because that would be stupid,” Hughes said.

“He’s tweaked his knee, a grade-one tear, and it could be anything from 10 days to two to three weeks. It depends on the severity of it and how he reacts to the treatment.

“We will do everything in our power to get him fit because, for obvious reasons, he would love to play.

“The Argentine medical people said it would be two or three weeks. We think it might be less than that but he is clearly a doubt.”

That prognosis makes it almost certain that Tevez will be absent from the Manchester derby, and Robinho is another concern for Hughes after he, too, was injured while away in South America.

The Brazil international had another scan yesterday to ascertain the seriousness of a recurrent ankle injury and is unlikely to be involved in City’s home game against Arsenal today.

“He had a little bit of swelling on the ankle,” Hughes said. “We do not think there is a significant injury but it is best to make sure there is no stress fracture.”

The City boss is confident there is no reason to worry as City approach what many view as a true test of their development.

“People are looking at the next two games as the indicator of how we are goingto do,” said Hughes.

“I understand why there is a focus on the next two games because people are looking at how far we have come and whether we can go to the next level.

“But we don’t go into these games with any apprehension. This is a great opportunity to show we can cope with the expectation.”