Michael Owen seems certain to be back in Fabio Capello's squad for the start of England's World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Italian is due to announce his squad on Sunday evening for the trips to face Andorra and - crucially - Croatia at the start of next month.
And Owen looks sure to be included, whether or not Capello actually sees the Newcastle man in action against Arsenal on Saturday.
While the England coach has not finalised his plans for the weekend yet, it would seem odd for Owen not to be picked now that he has marked his return with a goal.
Having scored against Bolton last Saturday, the striker should make two more appearances - this evening at Coventry and then at Arsenal - before Capello decides who will be his strikers for the Andorra and Croatia games.
And as none of England's strikers - including Wayne Rooney - were particularly impressive against the Czech Republic last Wednesday and if anything Peter Crouch was even worse as Capello watched Portsmouth slip to defeat against Manchester United at Fratton Park on Monday night, leaving Owen out would make no sense at all.
However, if Capello did end up at the Emirates Stadium he would get the chance to see how Theo Walcott performs.
Manchester United take on Zenit St Petersburg in Monaco on Friday, where Owen Hargreaves and Gary Neville are among those pencilled in to take part. And with Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Liverpool all in action on Sunday, it could be a busy weekend for Capello.
The Italian will also want to check on the fitness of Manchester City's Micah Richards, who suffered such a horrendous bang to the head in the win over West Ham at the weekend.
Capello is clearly not intending to take any chances and has dispensed with the policy of naming an expanded squad before trimming it down once he knows who is fit.
After admitting he took a gamble by naming his squad on the Saturday before England drew with the Czech Republic, he will wait until the weekend games are completed this time around.