England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has declared he will be fit well in advance of the first Ashes Test against Australia starting on November 23.

Flintoff, 28, underwent ankle surgery last Wednesday, which removed some scar tissue rather than bone fragments which had been speculated about.

He began a rehabilitation program with his fitness trainer Dave 'Rooster' Roberts on Monday.

"I'll be seeing Rooster virtually every day, sometimes two or three times a day," Flintoff said.

"I'll have the stitches taken out some time next week and then I'll get rid of the crutches.

"The timescale is that I'll hopefully be fit to play again 12 weeks after the operation.

"That means mid or late October, which should be plenty of time to be ready for the first Test against Australia on November 23.

"That's the big target, of course."

England has investigated the possibility of Flintoff playing grade cricket in Australia or South Africa from late October to build up his fitness, but the 2005 Ashes hero says he is "not looking that far ahead".

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