It's a player's worst nightmare, and quite enough to keep a coach awake at night too. With the World Cup approaching fast, an injury is the last thing any footballer wants. For South Korea striker Lee Dong-Gook, the worst-case scenario unfolded when he received the news last week that he would miss the finals because of a serious knee injury. As Lee embarks on the lonely road to recovery, three potential stars of this summer's tournament -- Lionel Messi, Michael Owen and Francesco Totti -- head a list of injured players fighting to avoid the same fate. And while their coaches scan the latest medical bulletins with increasing urgency, the question is whether they will make it in time. Messi heads home In Messi's case, he returned to Argentina this week for treatment on the thigh muscle he tore playing against Chelsea on 7 March. The Barcelona teenager aggravated the problem by, in his own words, trying to "come back sooner than I should have" and Argentina team doctor Donato Villani's observation that Messi was unlikely to be fit before the UEFA Champions League final has done little to ease the worries of Albiceleste fans. That final, should Barcelona get there, takes place two days after the 15 May deadline for naming squads, but Messi is optimistic and declared on his arrival in Buenos Aires that he wants to "try and play the last games of the season for Barcelona and, of course, for Argentina". His coach Jose Pekerman was more cautious, however, saying: "To include a player on the list, we have to know if he is right." If Pekerman must wait on Messi, he did receive some encouraging news over the Easter weekend as Gabriel Heinze was included in the Manchester United squad for the first time since sustaining a crucial ligament injury last September. Heinze is "tackling like a tiger" in training, according to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson; now he just needs matches. Totti targets Cup final Over in Italy, the fitness of Francesco Totti is the main concern for Azzurri fans but the Roma playmaker is progressing ahead of schedule according to Pierpaolo Mariani, the doctor monitoring his recovery from surgery to repair his fractured left fibula. Dr Mariani told Italian journalists Totti, sidelined since February, would "start work with the fitness coaches this week". The player himself hopes to be available for the second leg of the Italian Cup final against Inter Milan on 11 May -- four days before the deadline for Marcello Lippi to confirm his Italy squad for Germany. While Lippi follows the rehabilitation of Totti and fellow striker Christian Vieri, currently out with a knee injury, his England counterpart, Sven-Goran Eriksson, will breathe a huge sign of relief should Michael Owen appear in a Newcastle shirt before the season's end. Owen has not played since breaking a bone in his foot on 31 December and his recovery has taken longer than expected, with a second operation required in March after the initial surgery to have a metal pin inserted in his foot. Owen put on his boots for the first time on the training ground last week, however, and his Newcastle United manager, Glenn Roeder, predicted it would be "onwards and upwards for Michael", who hopes to get in at least one club appearance before Eriksson names his squad. Defensive worries for Eriksson Eriksson also has worries at the back with defenders Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Ledley King all facing a race to be fit. Campbell, troubled by fitness and off-field problems, suffered another setback when he broke his nose on his first Arsenal appearance since February, while Cole has played since just once in the last six months. The chief concern for some, of course, is that things are not going fast enough. Two other cruciate injury victims, Czech Republic striker Jan Koller and Spain midfielder Xavi, are back in training but yet to kick a ball in anger. Meanwhile, Brazil forward Ricardo Oliveira, fit again after his knee problems, has engineered a loan move from Real Betis to Sao Paulo in the hope of persuading Carlos Alberto Parreira to take a chance on him. Their club seasons may be ending soon but for these players there is still plenty of work to do. Will they or won't they? Oleksander Shovkovsky, Ukraine goalkeeper -- just back in the Dynamo Kiev team after three months out with a broken collarbone. Gabriel Heinze, Argentina defender Sol Campbell, England defender Ledley King, England defender Ashley Cole, England defender Xavi, Spain midfielder Pablo Aimar, Argentina midfielder -- hospitalised over Easter with mild strain of viral meningitis but should not be absent long. Lionel Messi, Argentina midfielder Francesco Totti, Italy forward Jan Koller, Czech Republic forward Michael Owen, England forward
