He will play in Saturday's French Cup tie against Strasbourg at the Velodrome.

Barthez, 32, had fallen out of favour at the English champions where he was third in the pecking order behind American Tim Howard and Northern Ireland's Roy Carroll.

However, the keeper has been told by France team coach Jacques Santini that he needs to get back into regular top flight football if he is to keep his place for the 2004 European Championships in Portugal.

The 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship winner has been training at Marseille, who are paying part of his wages, since mid-October.

But world soccer's governing body FIFA had turned down Marseille's appeal last month to sign outside the approved transfer period on loan as a replacement for the injured Cedric Carasso who is second-choice goalkeeper behind Croatian Vedran Runje.

Marseille president Christophe Bouchet praised Barthez "for his patience, professionalism and the unusual dignity that he has shown since his arrival" at the club in October.

Manchester United signed Barthez for a world record 7.8 million pounds (13 million dollars) from Monaco in May 2000. He played for Marseille until 1995, winning the European Cup with them in 1993.

Barthez has two and a half years left on his United contract but his prospects at Old Trafford look bleak.