Rio Ferdinand could return to the Manchester United lineup for the Premier League visit of Stoke on Tuesday evening.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that the 33-year-old has returned to training successfully.
"Rio only had one training session yesterday and we couldn't gamble with that," said the Glaswegian boss.
"He will train tomorrow and Monday. He could be right for Tuesday."
The England international hasn't featured in the last two United fixtures with back problems, but may be needed on Tuesday as the Reds' injury list grows.
Wayne Rooney and Nani missed out in the FA Cup defeat at Liverpool today and are likely to miss out again while Phil Jones is also missing.
