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England manager Martin Johnson has confirmed that Jonny Wilkinson was fully fit and raring to go after including the injury-ravaged fly-half in his elite training squad despite his not playing for 10 months.

Johnson had said the 32-man squad, announced last week, would be based on form but made no apologies for including the 2003 World Cup winner (pictured).

"He is a world class player," Johnson told a news conference at Twickenham.

"He was in here for a fitness assessment last week and he's in good nick. He's training fully and is raring to go."

Wilkinson, 30, last played in September and missed the rest of the season with a dislocated kneecap and subsequent complications.

He has now moved to French club Toulon, who also carried out their own rigorous fitness tests.

"There are no assurances but nobody works harder than him on rehab and conditioning," Johnson added.

"Now he just needs to get out on the field and play."

Danny Cipriani, the man who once seemed destined to take over Wilkinson's mantle, has had to settle for a place in the 32-man second-string Saxons squad but Johnson said his "demotion" was purely down to form and nothing to do with any perceived attitude problem.

"We picked him in the autumn, based on the previous year with England. Did he struggle, did the team struggle? Yes," Johnson said.

"But he's a talented player and is now battling to get back into the squad."

Cipriani recently had the plate removed from his ankle following the horrific injury he sustained in May 2008 and has much ground to make up having been overhauled even in the Saxons by Stephen Myler.

"Danny has got areas of real strength and areas he needs to improve on," said Saxons coach Stuart Lancaster.

"First of all you should recognise that Stephen Myler is also talented and came through well.

"But Danny was excellent on tour. We've talked about managing the game, working in the contact area, all the little things, but there is no doubt about his talent with the ball and his ability to make breaks."

Wilkinson and British and Irish Lions centre Riki Flutey were the only two France-based players to make the squads as James Haskell, Tom Palmer, Tom May, Steve Thompson and last season's regular fly-half Andy Goode all missed out.

Johnson and director of elite rugby Rob Andrew had previously voiced concerns over the exodus of players to the French league and though both said on Tuesday that those players were left out for form reasons only, the underlying threat remained clear.

"If they go to France we need to be certain they can be here when Martin wants them," said Andrew, who added that guarantees of full release of players from all the French clubs involved were still to be finalised.

"If we get halfway through the Six Nations and a couple of guys don't turn up then it will have impact on selection and then again for the 2010/11 season and the World Cup.

"So far the clubs and players are saying they can deliver what we want them to deliver but the proof is in the pudding."

Reuters