Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill has warned that Manu Tuilagi is not yet ready to make his England comeback.
The centre made his long-awaiting return for the Tigers in the second half of their 30-27 victory over the Northampton Saints on Saturday, ending a 15-month spell on the sidelines caused by a serious groin problem.
New England head coach Eddie Jones was among the spectators at Welford Road and has been tipped to include Tuilagi in his squad for the Six Nations, but Cockerill believes that their opening match against Scotland on February 6 will come too soon.
"He played 25 or so minutes, and he is remembering how to play rugby again. Hopefully, there will be no reaction to that. He will play next week and we will build his fitness up gradually. At this point, I am not sure he is ready to play Test match rugby," Cockerill told reporters.
"He has played 25 minutes in 15 months and it is a bit premature to be discussing Manu playing for England. He needs to play for Leicester, we need to get him fit and make sure he is 100% right before he starts playing Test matches.
"I will speak to Eddie in the next few days. Manu will keep improving, but the start of the Six Nations is unrealistic because we need to make sure he is 100% right."
Tuilagi won the last of his 25 England caps in June 2014.
Barney Corkhill
