Buenos Aires: Argentina striker Sergio Aguero said on Thursday that he feels "like new" and is ready to play his "best World Cup" in Russia despite struggling in recent months with a knee injury.
The 29-year-old hasn´t played for Manchester City since their Champions League quarter-final defeat by Liverpool on April 10, and Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli has a host of attacking options to choose from before naming his World Cup squad.
"My knee is like new, I´ve always had problems... But now I feel different, I can bend it and it´s a relief," he told Argentinian TV channel TyC.
Aguero has played 84 times since making his international debut in 2006, scoring 36 goals, but faces strong competition for a place in Sampaoli´s starting XI.
With Lionel Messi a shoe-in for the team, Aguero will need to stave off challenges from Juventus pair Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala, Roma striker Diego Perotti and Inter Milan´s Mauro Icardi.
But, having never scored in eight previous World Cup matches, Aguero insisted that he is preparing for his "best World Cup".
Two-time world champions Argentina have been handed a tough draw alongside Croatia, Nigeria and Iceland in Group D, with their opening match against the Scandinavian debutants in Moscow on June 16.