Fulham striker Andy Johnson could return to first-team action in September.
The 29-year-old has been sidelined since February when he underwent knee surgery to deal with a problem that had limited him to just 13 appearances in the first half of last season.
Johnson had been hoping to make his comeback in the season opener against Bolton on Saturday but suffered a setback during training last month and returned to the United States for treatment.
Now, new boss Mark Hughes is hoping to have Johnson available in September.
He told the Premier League’s official website: “It looks very positive and he’s looking to get back as soon as he can.
“He’s done a lot of physical work while he’s been out and the key to it is when he does come back he’ll be the strongest he’s ever been in his career.
“We’re probably looking at September or October.”