Manu Tuilagi faces Dan Carter’s Racing Metro in his greatest test since returning from a career-threatening groin injury with Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill predicting he will be in perfect condition for England’s summer tour.

The 24-year-old centre makes his 11th start of the season on Sunday - following a 15-month injury absence – as Tigers bid for a place in the European Champions Cup final with victory over All Black fly half Carter and his ‘rock star’ team-mates at Nottingham Forest's City Ground.

Cockerill says his star centre Tuilagi is on target to deliver on England coach Eddie Jones’ call for him to ‘run over Carter’ in order to prove his readiness to tour Australia in June.

Manu Tuilagi is back to 90 per cent of his best ahead of Leicester's clash with Racing Metro

Tuilagi has returned from a career-threatening injury, and will be 'bang on right' for England's summer tour

‘Me and Eddie have something in common at last!’ Joked Cockerill was asked about Jones’s comments.

‘Manu is getting back to where he was. He’s 90 per cent there. He’s getting lots of game time.

'Physically he’s very good and his match fitness is getting a lot better. He’s dropping his weight a little bit and getting that sharpness back which you tend to do when you start playing multiple games.

'He’s getting back to his best and will be dead bang on right for the summer tour.

The centre has been getting plenty of game time, and his Richard Cockerill is pleased with his progress

Cockerill echoed Eddie Jones' call for him to 'run over' Dan Carter, but admits it won't be easy to do

‘Of course we want to get on the front foot but let’s not be too disrespectful to Dan Carter. He’s played a lot of rugby at the very, very highest level and he’s not particularly shy physically.

'I’m sure there are a lot of players around the world over the past decade who have tried to run over him and he’s managed that pretty well most of the time.

‘It’s a little bit naive to say we’re going to target Dan Carter and put him off his game. Obviously we’ve got difficult opposition with Racing but I think even with their rock star players and budgets they spend we have a squad capable of beating them.’

Tuilagi leaves Carter trailing in his wake during a win over the All Blacks back in December 2012

Tipping the scales at more than 17 and a half stone, Cockerill revealed the Samoan-born Tuilagi still has some weight to shift before being back to his very best.

‘Samoan boys naturally are heavy boys,’ he added. ‘We’re just trying to manage his weight from a muscle density point of view just to keep him sharp because the tendency is to get heavy.