England midfielder Keira Walsh has returned to team training following a knee injury in a boost to the Lionesses’ Women’s World Cup hopes.
Walsh suffered the knock in England’s Group D win over Denmark, with fears it could be a serious knee injury.
However the injury is far less serious than originally thought, and the 26-year-old should be fit to play again at the tournament.
England face Nigeria in the last 16 on Monday in Brisbane.
A tweet from the official England account confirmed that “all 23 players are out for training today at Central Coast Stadium”- including Walsh.
It is not clear yet whether the Barcelona midfielder will be available for the meeting with Nigeria.
England earned a 6-1 win over China in their final Group D match, in which manager Sarina Wiegman changed the team’s formation due to the absence of Walsh.
Walsh was taken off the pitch on a stretcher against Denmark and was later seen on crutches, raising fears she was the latest high profile England player to suffer an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury.
ACL injuries have blighted women’s football recently, with England stars Leah Williamson and Beth Mead both forced to mis the World Cup because of them.
But a scan following the Denmark game allayed fears of an ACL, and now Walsh looks on the road to a return to action.
Walsh, who moved to Barcelona last summer for a women’s world record transfer fee, played a crucial role in England’s Euro 2022 title win, appearing in all but four minutes of their campaign.