The 32-year-old Arsenal defender has been sidelined since aggravating a left calf injury on 31 March and was the first player to arrive at France's pre-finals training camp in the Alps on Saturday. He has been training individually with Les Bleus' physical trainer Robert Duverne and Domenech said he was enthused by his progress. Raymond Domenech revealed on Tuesday that his biggest concern surrounding the France squad prior to the beginning of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa was the fitness of centre-back William Gallas. Should Gallas fail to prove his fitness in time, one option available to Domenech would be to move Jeremy Toulalan from defensive midfield into central defence, where he has played with distinction for Lyon this season.Domenech would only admit that it was "possible" that Toulalan could be asked to play in central defence in one of France's pre-tournament friendlies and used the same word when asked if playmaker Yoann Gourcuff could be deployed in a deeper midfield role in front of the defence. France's first friendly game against Costa Rica in Lens takes place on 26 May. Domenech added that Gallas was France's only injury concern but conceded that captain and talisman Thierry Henry was low on confidence after an underwhelming season at Barcelona. The Catalan giants retained the Spanish title on Sunday but Henry, 32, made just 15 starts in the league and scored only four goals.
The FIFA World Cup begins on 11 June. Domenech on Monday whittled his squad down to 24 players, having originally named a provisional squad of 30, but he will have to leave out another player before submitting his final 23-man squad to FIFA by 1 June.
