England remain hopeful Andrew Flintoff can recover from his latest knee problem to play in this week's second Ashes Test at Lord's.

The 31-year-old Lancashire all-rounder had a precautionary scan yesterday on his right knee, which was operated on earlier this year after he suffered discomfort during his spell in the Indian Premier League.

But after seeking medical advice from the surgeon who conducted the operation, Andy Flower, the England coach, says he is optimistic that Flintoff can take his place in the side on Thursday.

"Fred saw his surgeon yesterday and he is quite optimistic about him playing in this Test match," Flower said. "He had an injection yesterday and we're letting it settle down today so he won't bowl and just have a bat, but he will bowl tomorrow and we'll see how he is and make a decision from there.

"Fred knows he body quite well now and will know after training in the next couple of days whether he will be able to make a contribution to this Test."

England have included Steve Harmison in the squad as cover, but could consider playing Ian Bell as an extra batsman should Flintoff fail to recover. He was forced to miss the Test and one-day series against West Indies earlier this summer while he recovered from his operation and played several matches for Lancashire to regain his fitness prior to the start of the Ashes.