LONDON COLNEY, England — With the flair of Reggie Bush gone from the New Orleans Saints, Deuce McAllister is ready to bring back some old-fashioned power running.

McAllister has only been used sparingly by coach Sean Payton this season after recovering from knee surgery, with Bush taking most of the carries and making most of the big plays.

But McAllister is likely to get the starting role in Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers in London, giving the Saints' all-time leading rusher the perfect opportunity to prove he's back to his old, pile-moving self.

"Whenever my number is called," McAllister said. "If it's a lot, then I'll be ready. And if it's not as much, I'll still be ready."

Bush underwent surgery on Monday to repair a meniscus in his knee and did not travel with the team to England. The Saints (3-4) practiced in windy conditions Thursday at the training ground of Premier League soccer club Arsenal, northwest of the British capital.

While tight end Jeremy Shockey was limited with a sore hernia, linebacker Jonathan Vilma said there were few signs McAllister faces any limitations on his rebuilt knees.

"Deuce is the man when he runs the ball," Vilma said. "It's impressive to see him run over linebackers and D-linemen. These are big guys, and he's running over them. So it's great to see that."

The 6-foot-1, 232-pound McAllister had operations on his right knee in 2005 and left knee last fall, limiting him to just three games last season.

While McAllister said he felt fine in training camp, Payton gave him only two carries in the first three weeks of the season. He then carried 20 times for 73 yards and a touchdown in a 31-17 win over San Francisco on Sept. 29, but has just 28 carries with no touchdowns in the three games since.

"They're definitely being cautious with me," McAllister said. "Because it's always a long season, and you don't know what's going to happen. But at some point you're going to have to deal with some circumstances and that's what we're trying to overcome."

Still, he insisted he hasn't been unhappy with the role of a backup.

"I'm just a player," he said. "Whether its primary or secondary, or whatever it may be, I'll go out there and contribute."

Payton said he expects McAllister to carry a heavier load in Sunday's game at Wembley Stadium — along with backups Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker — and that he'll be changing the play calling to better suit McAllister's style.

"It changes some things, of course, and you make some adjustments, and obviously there are some other players that become a little bit more involved," Payton said. "There are some schemes that you carry specifically for a guy like (Bush), and that you may not carry in a game like this."

McAllister, who holds the Saints' career records for yards (5,886), touchdowns rushing (45) and attempts (1,372), said he expected the adjustments to be minimal.

"We're still pretty much the same offense," he said. "It's still pretty much what we've always done."