Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson is hopeful that Matthew Upson will finally be cleared to make his debut for the club in the coming weeks.
The 35-year-old signed for the Foxes on a free transfer last summer, but an ankle injury ruled him out of action until December, only for a setback to further hinder his return.
However, Upson is closing in on his comeback following his return to training with Pearson's side.
He told reporters: "Hopefully we will get him back on the pitch next week in an Under-21s game if possible and we'll go from there.
"When he has trained with us he has been great, and I'll be delighted to have him available. His experience and game understanding is a quality sometimes people underplay.
"What is important is when players get older they are less able to do things physically, so you need to compensate with a bit of knowhow, and he certainly has that."
Leicester play Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Simon Sinclair
