Djibril Sidibe has returned to first-team training at Monaco as he continues his recovery from a knee injury that originally appeared would threaten his World Cup chances.
Sidibe, 25, was not expected to play again this season after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during Monaco's 7-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on April 15.
But he took part in a full training session on Tuesday and looks increasingly likely to find himself in France's World Cup squad when coach Didier Deschamps names his preliminary selection for the tournament next week.
Against the advice of Monaco's medical staff, Sidibe refused to undergo surgery that would have ended his ambitions of going to Russia.
Heureux d'être de retour avec le groupe 😃 pic.twitter.com/obPynWjcaj
— Djibril Sidibé (@DjibrilSidibeS3) May 8, 2018
Instead, according to RMC, he worked with his personal osteopath before heading to the French national team's training base at Clairefontaine, just outside Paris.
Over three days, Sidibe went through a number of exercises, including sprints, ball work and jumps, with Gregory Dupont, France's fitness coach.
The results, which will be passed to Deschamps, were deemed sufficiently positive for him to return to training with his club, and he could even be in contention to feature in Sunday's Ligue 1 game against Saint-Etienne.