Russell Slade was delighted to reveal that Bruno Manga's knee injury was not as serious as it could have been.
The Gabonese defender was stretchered off the pitch during City's 1 - 0 win over Sparta Rotterdam on Friday.
Russell Slade said: “His injury doesn’t look as serious as we initially feared.”
Scans revealed there is no ligament damage.
“It’s terrific news," said Slade.
"We can have a little bit more optimism about Bruno because his injury doesn’t seem to be as bad as perhaps we thought initially.
“We are hopeful he won’t be out for long.”
City are also without Ben Turner who is progressing well after ankle surgery.
Sean Morrison and Matt Connolloy are set to start the season as City's central defensive pairing.