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Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is hopeful he will recover from knee surgery by the end of November.

The 20-year-old injured the lateral meniscus in his right knee during a Europa League game for the club against Timisoara on 19 August.

The Italian international has played 33 minutes of football for the club since his £24m switch from Inter Milan.

On Tuesday, he told a news agency that he should be available again in about six to eight weeks.

Balotelli underwent surgery on 8 September and was initially expected to be back in action in mid-October, but his recovery has taken longer than expected.

His recovery timetable should allow him to appear for City in their Europa League tie with Juventus on 16 December.

Balotelli, the son of Ghanaian immigrants to Italy, suffered racist heckling from a section of the Juventus support when he faced them in Inter colours in the past, forcing the Turin club to play a match behind closed doors.

In Balotelli's absence City have had a mixed start to the season, beating Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League, but also losing at Sunderland and exiting the Carling Cup with a 2-1 defeat at West Brom.

Florida Blue wrote:IIRC this was the original timetable 10-12 weeks. His injury was nothing like Bojinov's. Balotelli's is a setback, but it is a common, normal sports injury. Bojinov's were catastrophic. I torn achillies is not very common and an insanely long recovery.

I hope it is conservative, I want to see him in the derby as well.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is still without Mario Balotelli for the Juventus clash but expects him to return to the squad at the end of next month.

Balotelli is sidelined with a knee injury and the striker said he would be out for eight weeks.

However Mancini responded: "He is in Italy and his knee is okay. I think he may be ready at the end of October, in four to five weeks."

Micah Richards could come into contention for the Europa League match against after sitting out the victory over Chelsea with a hamstring injury.

Shaun Wright-Phillips is doubtful with a knee problem while Wayne Bridge and Aleksandar Kolarov remain absent.

Mario Balotelli's days at Manchester City are spreading thin and he could quickly return to Italy, claims one of his friends.

Antonio, a waiter in Manchester's King Street restaurant 'San Carlo', has come to know the former Inter man well, and revealed Balotelli could soon give up on trying to forge a bond with Premier League life.

Balotelli has expressed inner calm and humility thus far when under the spotlight, but Antonio claims the reality is different behind the scenes.

"I think he will soon return to Italy," the waiter told Tuttosport.

"He needs his family around him to adapt. He lives around here at the Hotel Lowry. Sometimes he locks himself in his room. And at times you can read the sadness.

"He comes here often to have a chat with friends. He is a great guy."

citytilidie wrote:http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2010/09/29/2141979/mario-balotellis-friend-claims-he-wont-last-long-at

Mario Balotelli's days at Manchester City are spreading thin and he could quickly return to Italy, claims one of his friends.

Antonio, a waiter in Manchester's King Street restaurant 'San Carlo', has come to know the former Inter man well, and revealed Balotelli could soon give up on trying to forge a bond with Premier League life.

Balotelli has expressed inner calm and humility thus far when under the spotlight, but Antonio claims the reality is different behind the scenes.

"I think he will soon return to Italy," the waiter told Tuttosport.

"He needs his family around him to adapt. He lives around here at the Hotel Lowry. Sometimes he locks himself in his room. And at times you can read the sadness.

"He comes here often to have a chat with friends. He is a great guy."