England head coach Stuart Lancaster has hinted that Leicester Tigers centre Manu Tuilagi could be in line for a recall to the international squad for Saturday's Six Nations match against Italy.
Tuilagi has recently returned from a torn pectoral muscle that saw him miss six months of action, including the opening four games of this season's tournament.
However, with his side still in with a chance of clinching the title following yesterday's 29-18 win over reigning champions Wales, Lancaster suggested that he could opt to bring in the 22-year-old with a view to using him as an impact substitution.
"If we were to go down the route of using him on the bench he'd certainly have a big impact," Lancaster is quoted as saying by PA.
"We didn't feel that it was right to involve Manu against Wales because of his lack of training time with us. We'd be more comfortable bringing him in for this weekend.
"I haven't spoken to any of the players yet and there's someone who would lose their spot on the bench if that's the route we go down. One option is for him to cover wing and we have both Jack Nowell and Jonny May who can cover 15."
Tuilagi has only played in one game for Leicester since returning from injury.
Barney Corkhill
