Manchester, England - French World Cup goalkeeper Fabien Barthez is back in training - six weeks ahead of schedule - and could be in Manchester United's line-up against Liverpool on Saturday.
With backup 'keeper Raimond van der Gouw also making progress after knee surgery, it could mean that the emergency loan hiring of Andy Goram wasn't needed after all and the veteran Scot may never pull on a Reds jersey.
Barthez suffered a thigh muscle injury during a pre-match warm-up two weeks ago and United feared he would be out of action for two months.
With Van der Gouw also sidelined after knee surgery, United had only 19-year-old California-born Paul Rachubka available. Manager Alex Ferguson moved to hire former Scottish international goalkeeper Goram from Motherwell on a two-month loan.
The expected return of Barthez, who also missed France's exhibition games against Japan on Saturday and Spain on Wednesday, and Van der Gouw means that Goram won't be needed.
The 'keeper, who turns 37 next month and had expected to face Bayern Munich in a Champions Cup quarterfinal, could be going back to Motherwell earlier than expected. - Sapa-AP