BLACKBURN Rovers ace Graeme Le Saux is winning his race for Premiership fitness.

Le Saux suffered the heartbreak of losing his England place for Euro 96 after a horrific leg injury against Middlesbrough in December.

But now he could force his way back into Premiership contention for Blackburn and straight into England's World Cup qualifying campaign - four months ahead of schedule.

"Graham's recovery has gone really well and we hope to have him back with us very close to the start of the season," revealed assistant manager Tony Parkes.

"Obviously it is difficult to put an exact timescale on when Graeme will be back in the side, but he might not be far away from a full return by late August or early September.

"We must be guided by the medical people, but the signs are very encouraging."

Added Parkes: "When the injury first happened there was talk of Christmas or 1997 before we saw Graham again.

"We now think it could be a little bit sooner than that and that is great news for everybody at Blackburn.

"If we can have Graham Le Saux available for selection by September then that would be a major bonus."

Le Saux has worked closely with Ewood Park physio Steve Foster and the England staff at Bisham Abbey for several months now and he is expected to report for pre-season training at Brockhall on July 14.

Rovers are expected to add an extra date to their pre-season schedule and are looking at the possibility of playing in Holland.

"We are awaiting conformation of a fixture in the Netherlands which we hope to announce very soon," confirmed Parkes.

Rovers have already arranged friendly fixtures against Colchester, Cambridge United and Preston North End.

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