Men's Six Nations: Ireland v England
Venue: Aviva Stadium Date: Saturday, 1 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live; text commentary and highlights on the BBC Sport website and app; watch on ITV1.
Scrum-half Alex Mitchell is expected to be fit for England's Six Nations match against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
The 27-year-old was uncertain due to a knee issue but fully participated in training in Girona, Spain, on Monday morning.
Mitchell was one of England's key players in early 2024 but missed the Autumn Nations Series due to a neck injury.
England will face the double defending champions, Ireland, on Saturday at Aviva Stadium.
Mitchell's return to fitness means his club-mate Henry Pollock is out of the 36-man squad, and he has left Girona to join the England Under-20s.
England coach Steve Borthwick faced several withdrawals early last week, with Jamie George, Alex Coles, Alex Dombrandt, and Jack van Poortvliet all leaving the squad.
However, Mitchell's fitness is a significant boost as England aims to win in Dublin for the first time since 2019. Borthwick is expected to choose Marcus Smith to partner with Mitchell at half-back, after the Harlequins playmaker wore the number 10 shirt throughout the summer and autumn.
Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence are likely to pair up at center for the 11th consecutive Test, with Freddie Steward set to start at full-back in place of the injured George Furbank.
Experienced center Slade, 31, says that consistent team selection is crucial as England aims to improve their disappointing 2024 and achieve a big win in Dublin.
"The more you play with someone, the better you understand what they do in every situation," Slade told BBC Sport.
"The more I train with Ollie, the more I learn about what he likes and when he prefers to get the ball.
"My role as a second playmaker is to get the ball to players like him and Freemo [Tommy Freeman] on the outside, so they can do what they do best."
Slade was part of the last England team to win at the Aviva, scoring two tries in a 32-20 victory six years ago.
"It was a great night for us. We attacked that game with everything from the start, and we'll need to do the same [on Saturday]," he said.
"You can't go [to Dublin] and play it safe; you have to bring your game to the field, be physical, and embrace the challenge."