England and Manchester United pair Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on road to recovery

England and Manchester United pair Chris Smalling and Phil Jones could be back in training and on the way back to first team action within the next two weeks.

The duo have both been out of action and without an appearance for either club or country so far this season, with Smalling recovering from a broken metatarsal which he picked up in pre-season and Jones from a knee operation after EURO 2012.

But Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes both players are closing in on a return to full training after spending the last few months on the sidelines.

He said: "Chris has trained with (reserve coach) Warren Joyce for a couple of days now, but it is non-contact at the moment.

"He is being the free player in training sessions, but the encouraging thing is he is definitely on the way back.

"I also expect Phil Jones to start on the football side next Monday and the two of them are both only two or three weeks away."

Both Smalling and Jones were capped by England last season, after previously impressing for the Under-21s.