Sweden striker Kennedy Bakircioglu is closing in on a return to first-team action with Ajax.
The 26-year-old has been out for six weeks with a stomach injury but is back in training and concentrating on building up his strength.
He told the club's website, www.ajax.nl: "Now it is all a question of building up. I will need a few more training sessions to get back on my old level. I could do everything today. Now we have to see if I will get any reaction. I do not want to be hasty."
Bakircioglu will not be ready to face FC Utrecht on Sunday but could feature in the midweek KNVB Beker clash with Heerenveen.
"I do hope to be part of the selection for the match after the Utrecht one," he said.
02 10 2007
Sebastian Larsson is a surprise inclusion in the Sweden squad for the Euro 2008 qualifiers later this month.
Lars Lagerback's side, who currently top Group F with 19 points and also have a game in hand, play Liechtenstein on 13th October before facing Northern Ireland four days later.
Larsson, 22, has earned a call-up for the games after regular Premier League appearances for Birmingham this season.
"He's one of the small number of young players that has managed to establish himself without returning home," Lagerback is quoted on Uefa.com.
Larsson is joined by fellow Premier League-based players Andreas Isaksson, Andreas Granqvist, Olof Mellberg, Freddie Ljungberg and Christian Wilhelmsson.
Internazionale striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is selected in the 23-man squad despite being suspended for the game against Liechtenstein.
But Kennedy Bakircioglu and Max von Schleebrugge miss out through injury, although Andreas Johansson is included despite a knee problem.
Full squad:
Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City), Rami Shaaban (Fredrikstad); Matias Concha (VfL Bochum), Erik Edman (Rennes), Andreas Granqvist (Wigan), Petter Hansson (Rennes), Daniel Majstorovic (Basel), Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa), Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos); Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Gothenburg), Daniel Andersson (Malmo), Andreas Johansson (AaB Aalborg), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham), Tobias Linderoth (Galatasaray), Fredrik Ljungberg (West Ham), Anders Svensson (Elsborg), Christian Wilhelmsson (Bolton); Marcus Allback (FC Copenhagen), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter), Rade Prica (AaB Aalborg), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)
