England Test captain Michael Vaughan believes Andrew Flintoff is in the ''last chance saloon'' as far as his England career is concerned after undergoing a fourth ankle operation.

Flintoff has embarked on another rehabilitation programme and is convinced ankle surgeon Niek van Dijk has finally cured his long-standing ankle problem.

Vaughan said he hoped Flintoff would make a full recovery and be able to extend his England career.

''I just want to see him back playing,'' said Vaughan. ''I know he's going through a tough period. He's over in America in rehab for his ankle.

''It's his last chance saloon and we should all get behind him and give him every opportunity to come back.''

Vaughan admits Flintoff's availability is crucial in terms of being able to field a balanced England side.

''I want him back in the England team because without him we're a lot less of a side. We need Freddie back batting at six or seven, bowling like he can, hitting the ball like he can,'' said the Yorkshire batsman.

''He's a great person to have around the team and I'm certainly looking forward to getting him back in there, hopefully sometime next year.

''With Freddie in the side you guarantee yourself five bowlers. With Freddie not in the side you're changing the formula into four bowlers and maybe a fifth bowler in Paul Collingwood or myself or Kevin Pietersen.

''Freddie is the key to getting five bowlers in the side. It's not to say that without Freddie we can't be successful. It just helps when you have him in the side.''

England all-rounder Ravi Bopara, meanwhile, has insisted he is not the new Flintoff.

The 22-year-old Essex star made his debut against Australia in February and scored a maiden one-day international half-century in the World Cup defeat to Sri Lanka two months later, returning from the Caribbean as one of the few players to have enhanced their reputations.

After a broken thumb ruled him out of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, Bopara acquitted himself well during the recent limited-overs series victory in Sri Lanka and earned a place in the Test squad which returns to the sub-continent for a three-match series next month.

With Flintoff ruled out until next year there is an opportunity to stake a claim to be the premier all-rounder.

However, Bopara stressed he did not want to be shackled with the tag of being the next Flintoff, much as the 29-year-old Lancashire all-rounder was touted as the new Ian Botham.

''I don't think anyone can fill Freddie's boots,'' said the Essex man, who has yet to make his Test debut.

''He is an amazing cricketer and in some ways he is a freak with the things he does.

"He bowls at a speed of 90 miles an hour and bats balls out of the park.

''There are not too many players in the world who can do that. In fact he is probably the only one.

''I am an all-rounder but a different type of all-rounder. I'm more of a batsman who bowls a bit, whereas Freddie is a main gun as a bowler who bats exceptionally well as well.''

Bopara will hope to use what experience he has gained from 19 one-day internationals - plus inspiration from some of the world's best cricketers - to try to bring a positive attitude to England's Test tour.

''One-day cricket has had a big effect on Test cricket. The speed that teams score at now has gone up,'' he said.

''The game is so much quicker and you don't really see games last five days. A lot are finished within four and you see a lot more results than ten or 15 years ago.

''Test cricket is more exciting now. A lot more people go to watch it and it is exciting to play in a fast-scoring game.

''It is good for the crowd and we are there to be entertainers. If they want to see faster cricket then we must find a way of doing it.

''That all depends on how good your skill level is in Test cricket. Guys like Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting all score at such good rates it's the reason why they win so many Test matches."