Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left the door open to Phil Jones making a first team return.
Solskjaer appeared to open the door to his potential return as he praised his efforts to get fit.
He said: "Phil has been injured and he's had an operation and he's working really hard to be back. He'll hopefully get fit during December."
Jones, 28, has made just two Premier League appearances since last season.
He was left out of United's Premier and Champions League squads, which Solskjaer insisted was down to his injuries.
He added: "That was a natural thing, when you're injured you can't really be in the squad, can you? He's working really diligently and he'll be coming back soon."