Gardener last raced at the Golden League meeting in Oslo

Gardener, whose year has been disrupted by a back injury, has been named in Great Britain and Northern Ireland's squad for the team event in Malaga.

The 30-year-old will take part in the 4x100m relay alongside Dwain Chambers, who returns to international action following his two-year drugs ban.

"I'm not 100% fit yet, but I'm on the way back," he said.

"There's still a little irritation and inflammation in my sciatica nerve, but I'm coping with it."

Gardener returned to action in the Golden League meeting in Oslo at the start of June but the injury flared up again and he failed to make it through the heats.

He has undergone intensive treatment at UK Athletics' high-performance centre in Loughborough and is happy with his progress.

"I'm back in training and already seeing improvements. It's been a frustrating time and there's no way I'm ready to race at global level," he said.

And Gardener is aiming to stake a claim for a place at the European Championships in August.

"Like most of the British sprinters I'm still a bit rusty and I need to get some races under my belt before the European trials next month," he added.

"I always said the Championships were my major aim this year although I was badly frustrated when I got injured at the Commonwealths and it flared up again in Oslo."