Monday 11 January 2016 09:54, UK
Tom Youngs is delighted to see Leicester Tigers and England team-mate Manu Tuilagi back in action.
The centre returned from a 15-month injury nightmare on Saturday, when he came off the bench early in the second half for his club side in their 30-27 Aviva Premiership win over Northampton.
Tuilagi had been sidelined with a serious groin injury but came through nearly half-an-hour unscathed on his return and put himself in line for an England return at the Six Nations, albeit an international comeback Tigers coach Richard Cockerill feels would be unrealistic.
And Youngs said it was just uplifting to see the 24-year-old back on the pitch after going through some tough times while he was on the injured list.
"It is great to see a guy who has gone through some hard times in the last 15 months trying to get back on the pitch after a very serious injury," Youngs said.
"He is enjoying himself in training and it is fantastic having him back the last few weeks.
"He went through a bad period, but he then realised it was getting better and he was not getting knocked back, which is pretty disheartening when you think there is light at the end of the tunnel and you go back to the beginning again.
"He was straight into it [against Northampton] and that was the best thing for him.
"When you are injured you can do all the training in the world, but he was nervous before the game as he was putting pressure on himself - 'can I still do it?' - and he will be a lot better for getting through that 25 minutes.
"I did not have to put my arm around him. He is an experienced guy and he knows we are all behind him. I cannot say whether he will be in the England squad. He has got through today (Saturday) and we will see how he gets through next week.
"He is a world-class player, but when someone has been out for a long time we forget how good they are until they come back."
