Everton striker, Henry Onyekuru hopes to return from a knee injury by the end of March to boost his chances of playing in the World Cup with Nigeria.
Onyekuru, who was carried off for loan club, Anderlecht in December, is now back in England and having his rehab overseen by London-based knee specialist, Andy Williams who is noted for his work with leading football and rugby clubs.
Original forecasts predicted 20-year-old Onyekuru would miss six months but it had been discovered he wouldn’t require surgery.
He is expected to return to Anderlecht for the remainder of the season once he is passed fit to play.
Onyekuru was signed by Everton from KAS Eupen for £7 million last summer, when Ronald Koeman was manager. The forward was sent on a season-long loan to Anderlecht where he scored nine goals in 25 games before his injury.
He could be available for Nigeria’s pre-World Cup warm-up game against England at Wembley on June 2.