Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from injury and manager Jose Mourinho is hopeful he will have the striker and forward Son Heung-min back on the pitch before the end of the season.
Kane had surgery to repair a ruptured tendon in his left hamstring in January and Spurs had said he would be back in training in April after suffering the injury during their 1-0 league defeat at Southampton on New Year's Day.
"I would say he is a little bit ahead. It gives me a hope that instead of (being available for) one or two matches, (he plays) three, four, five (matches)," Mourinho told reporters ahead of today's match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
"He's the kind of guy that doesn't accept protocol or a single date or fixture (for his return). He's a great professional and a fighter and he wants to be back as soon as possible.
"When he was injured I said 'forget him'," Mourinho added. "Then I said 'one or two games'. At this moment, I have better hopes than that, hopefully that feeling is right and he can help us in the last few games of the season."
Spurs, sixth, are part of a tight battle for Champions League spots and the London club have found goals hard to come by since Son was also sidelined this month with a fractured arm, with no timeline given for his return to training.
Son will self-isolate, in line with government recommendations over the coronavirus, on his return to London after travelling home to South Korea.
He travelled to Seoul for surgery on a fractured arm and will be out of action in any case for several weeks, but Spurs say they will follow British government recommendations while he continues his rehab on his return.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is convinced his side will not capitulate at Everton in today's other game like they did in last season's 4-0 thrashing. Solskjaer described the defeat at Goodison Park in April last year as his "lowest point" as United manager and revealed it was the moment he decided to rebuild the squad.
"That was the lowest I have been. It was a capitulation. We had nothing about us," Solskjaer told reporters ahead of today's trip to Goodison Park.
"That was when one or two had their last chance more or less. But we had to get to the summer first.
"As I've said a few times, Rome wasn't built in a day. But the culture, the attitude, the fitness, the camaraderie, the spirit and maybe even the understanding between players have improved.
"I'm 100% sure we will put in a better performance this time."
United are fifth in the Premier League table, three points adrift of Chelsea in fourth and five ahead of 11th-placed Everton.
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