"I have been training for two days now without any limitations and if all goes well I can return next weekend," he told Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha on Sunday.

Mendes, 27, suffered a concussion and was taken to hospital after being struck in the head by Thatcher during Portsmouth's 0-0 draw at Manchester City on August 23 during an English Premier League match.

The Portuguese international was taken off on a stretcher and spent the night at a Manchester hospital.

Thatcher, 30, who sent Mendes a letter of apology, has been hit with a six-game ban by Manchester City and faces further punishment from the English Football Association' disciplinary committee.

"It's praiseworthy that Manchester City has suspended the player. The incident deserves exemplary punishment," said Mendes, who is under contract with Portsmouth until 2010.

"I never had a serious injury and it was shocking to wake up at a hospital, surrounded by people, doing all those tests. Psychologically, it marked me. It was the darkest moment of my career," he added.