Beth Mead has said she is “ahead of schedule” in her recovery from an ACL injury and is still targeting participation at the World Cup. The forward, who collected the golden boot and player of the tournament awards as England won the Euros last summer, ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat by Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in November. After receiving an MBE at Windsor Castle for services to football, Mead told Sky Sports: “The injury is OK. I’m a good five months in now, I am back on the pitch and kicking a ball again, feeling good, ahead of schedule, so that’s all I can do in my control right now.” In March the England manager, Sarina Wiegman, said she had started to plan for a World Cup without the influential Mead, saying a “miracle” was needed for her to come back in time. “At this moment I don’t expect that,” Wiegman said. With the World Cup just over two months away, Mead told the Press Association she would “try her hardest” to make the plane for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand but added a note of caution. “It’s starting to be a little bit more normal again but it’s been a long, tough period,” she said. “I will try my hardest to get as close to that as possible. But [the World Cup] may be a little bit too soon for me this time around.” The World Cup kicks off on 20 July, with England’s first game, against the debutants Haiti, being played two days later. Wiegman is expected to name her squad at the end of May or start of June, before which Mead would have no chance to prove her readiness in a match. The captain, Leah Williamson, and key forward Fran Kirby have been ruled out with injuries.