Wayne Rooney and John Terry have been given the all-clear to resume full England training ahead of next week's friendly against Serbia and Montenegro.
Rooney picked up a knee injury during Everton's last game of the season against Premiership champions Manchester United. Terry, meanwhile, has recovered from the thigh strain which sidelined the Chelsea centre-back at the end of last season.
The news wasn't so clear cut for Rio Ferdinand, who will return to Old Trafford for treatment on his knee injury later this week before a decision is taken on his availability for the Euro 2004 qualifier against Slovakia on June 11th.
The English FA are keen to avoid any confrontation with Manchester United over Ferdinand's fitness and have been in regular touch with the Old Trafford medical staff over the past week.
As for Rooney and Terry, they had been working with physio Gary Lewin at the squad's training camp at La Manga this week while the rest of the squad trained as normal.
Sven-Goran Eriksson will hope Terry is fit considering the amount of defensive injury worries he already has. Arsenal's Sol Campbell and Newcastle's Jonathan Woodgate are both ruled out by injuries.
With news regarding Ferdinand still uncertain, that leaves Gareth Southgate and Matthew Upson as the only fit centre-backs in the squad.
Southgate has returned to England as his wife is about to give birth, but the Middlesbrough defender should link up with the squad in time for the Slovakia match.