Newcastle United skipper Jamaal Lascelles is on course to be ready for day one of pre-season training with the Magpies.
Lascelles suffered a stress fracture in his foot back in April and eased his way back to fitness after initially requiring a supportive boot.
The Toon captain was willing to play through the pain barrier in either the Sheffield United or Fulham victories in the final two games.
But with Premier League safety assured it was decided it wasn't worth the risk by the United medical team.
With United's squad back in on July 5 and Lascelles working through a normal summer programme after rehab earlier this year, he will be in a position to get pre-season minutes under his belt ahead of confirmed friendly games against York City, Harrogate and Burton Albion in July.
In what has been a frustrating campaign for Lascelles, after missing chunks of the campaign through Covid and a thigh problem, the former Nottingham Forest man made 21 appearances in all competitions.
His scored two vital goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa to secure important points in the Premier League.
Speaking in his captain's column at the end of the season, Lascelles said: "For me it has been a really weird season with Covid, no fans and the different injuries I've had.
"As a player, it's always hard to come back from an injury and return to the level you want to be at quickly.
"But it's all in the past now and I'm just going to work hard over the next couple of months and get myself back for the new season."
