Ben Foster has set his sights on an October return, after being forced to sit out the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
The England and West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper has not featured since picking up a knee injury during the 1-0 Premier League victory against Stoke on 14 March.
However, the 32-year-old has now returned to training and is optimistic about his rehabilitation – so much so he recently tweeted a picture charting his progress.
Ben Foster has not played since injuring his knee on 14 March
“It’s going really well, hopefully I’ve got only another couple of months to go but touch wood it’s all gone really well so far and I’m in the final stretch now,” he said.
“I’m at the point now where I’ve just started doing a bit out on the grass, kind of semi full-fitness and you want to keep pushing it and pushing it.
“But you’ve got to stay grounded and not go crazy. You’re within touching distance, the season starts on Saturday and you want to be there and do it but you know you can’t, you’ve just got to take your time.”
Since suffering the injury, Foster missed the final nine games of the Premier League season and was not involved in the last two England get-togethers.
He has also sat out each of the Baggies’ eight pre-season friendlies.
And despite the busy schedule of games, Foster said that his team-mates have been put through a rigorous pre-season routine by manager Tony Pulis.
“It’s been horrible,” he continued. “They’ve had a tough time to be fair.
“That week in Austria was silent all the time. We’d train and nobody afterwards had any energy to talk. It was brutal.”
It's been a while⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/dBfKrJrS3P
— Ben Foster (@BenFoster) August 3, 2015
The Baggies have to wait until Monday night before their new campaign gets under way.
They welcome last season's Premier League runners-up Manchester City to the Hawthorns – a good time, Foster says, to play them.
“It’s a tough one to start with but they even themselves out at the end of the day,” he continued.
“Maybe it’s a good time to get them at the start of the season on a Monday night, you never know.
“The way the lads have been training their fitness levels are very high.”
Foster is likely to miss the first two of England’s four autumn internationals – though he may have his eyes on the final two Group E fixtures.
The Three Lions face San Marino and Switzerland on 5 and 8 September, before completing the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign against Estonia and Lithuania on 9 and 12 October respectively.
Tickets for the games against Switzerland and Estonia at Wembley Stadium are on sale now.
