John Terry is battling to be fit for England’s World Cup qualifying match away to Belarus on Wednesday after showing an improvement yesterday. The England captain has yet to return to full training after a back injury, but he spent yesterday in the gym with his physiotherapist and was able to run on the treadmill for the first time in five days.

A final decision on whether Terry will be fit enough to travel will be made after training today, with Fabio Capello, the manager, insisting that the captain completes at least one full training session before boarding the plane to Minsk tomorrow.

Capello will give Terry every chance to prove his fitness, as is shown by the fact that he has remained with the squad rather than returning to Chelsea for treatment, although his club are being kept informed of his progress. The Italian’s desire to have Terry in Belarus was strengthened by Matthew Upson’s disappointing performance against Kazakhstan on Saturday, when the West Ham United defender was frequently caught out of position.

If Terry fails to recover, however, Upson is likely to keep his place because Capello has identified the 29-year-old as the Chelsea player’s deputy, with Joleon Lescott providing cover for Rio Ferdinand. Wes Brown could also be moved to centre back, but Capello wants the Manchester United full back’s defensive qualities at right back against Belarus.

Terry has made a habit of playing through the pain during an injury-ravaged career and is desperate to return to captain the team. The 27-year-old has completed only one full training session since suffering the injury in Chelsea’s Champions League draw away to CFR Cluj almost a fortnight ago, but a surprise reappearance on Wednesday would not be his most remarkable recovery. Terry played in a Champions League tie against Valencia last season five days after fracturing a cheekbone and on several occasions he has played for Chelsea with a broken toe or pain in his back.

Chelsea’s medical team will demand proof that he is fully fit before travelling to Minsk, but it is unlikely to intervene to stop him playing if he declares himself fit. Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Chelsea manager, said on Chelsea’s return from Romania that Terry would play on one leg for his club and will not attempt to stop him making the same sacrifice for his country.