Giuseppe Rossi could be just a fortnight away from a return to full training, with Fiorentina club doctor Paolo Manetti saying the Italian forward is making good progress.
The 28-year-old has been out of action since aggravating a previous knee injury in the summer. He missed the World Cup because he was unable to prove his fitness, before suffering a relapse in preseason and requiring further surgery, which has sidelined him since.
The club predicted in December that he would be back in action at the start of March, but he will now have to wait until April at the earliest to return. Manetti did not want to put a precise date on his comeback.
"It's really going very, very well, but I've got to underline that things have to be taken step by step," Manetti said on the Serie A club's website. "The lad and we all would like him to get back quicker, but we've got to respect the knee and I think it will be two more weeks before he can join the team.
"It's important that after seven months of inactivity, a knee which has already suffered in the past is not put under any unnecessary strain and rushed. He still needs a bit of time.
"He'll be back with the group very soon, then it will be up to how his knee responds and the coach to decide when he can be ready. To say which game he could be back for would not be fair."
Rossi could be back in training after the international break and, depending on how his knee responds, he could feature in the Viola's Europa League quarterfinal tie with Dinamo Moscow. He was inserted in the squad list for the knockout stage submitted to UEFA at the start of February.