Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has declared himself fit for Sunday's derby with Manchester City.
Van Persie has missed United's last six games following an ankle injury he suffered in the 2-1 defeat at Swansea on Feb. 21.
Manager Louis van Gaal said last week he did not expect the striker to be fit enough to return for Sunday's game at Old Trafford, but Van Persie reported good news for United fans on Wednesday on his Twitter account.
Back to training with the group today. Was a great session. Happy to be fit and able to play again. Looking forward to my next game!
- Robin van Persie (@Persie_Official) April 8, 2015
However, United have hardly missed the Dutchman, who has scored just 10 goals this term. During his absence, United have only lost once -- against his former employers Arsenal in the FA Cup.
United have recorded creditable victories over Tottenham and Liverpool and on Saturday they moved above City into third with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.
United captain Wayne Rooney has been performing well up front in a 4-3-3 formation alongside Ashley Young and Juan Mata, who scored both goals in the 2-1 win at Anfield two-and-a-half weeks ago.
Marouane Fellaini has also provided able and robust support from midfield.
Victory for United this weekend would pile more misery on out-of-form City and improve Van Gaal's chances of achieving his target of Champions League qualification.
Once he returns from his summer break, he is likely to take United on a shortened preseason tour, with the most likely destination the United States, sources have told Press Association.
The Press Association said that Van Gaal will sign off plans for the tour in the coming weeks.
Van Gaal made no secret of his annoyance at United's preseason schedule last summer.
United had already committed themselves to a three-week long tour that took in five matches across five American cities by the time Van Gaal took over as manager.
United travelled almost 13,500 miles on the trip, which included games in Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, Washington DC and Miami -- all against high-profile opposition.
This summer's tour is expected to see United take on fewer opponents and undertake less travel. The trip will have to be over a shorter period of time too as the Premier League season begins on Aug. 8 -- just eight weeks after the end of the international break.