Manu Tuilagi could make a shock early return to the England squad in time for the Test match against Argentina in November.

The 25-year-old is making a strong recovery from his latest groin problem and his director of rugby Richard Cockerill expects him to return to action in two to three weeks.

That would give Eddie Jones a chance to pick him for the autumn internationals against Argentina and Australia, on November 26 and December 3 respectively.

Manu Tuilagi is set for early return to the England squad in time for the Argentina Test

'It is all positive,' said Cockerill.

'He is doing all his rehab, his weight is good, he is very engaged with rehab, his lifestyle is good and he looks in great nick.'

Tuilagi has been dogged by career-threatening injuries for two years and has not started for England since playing New Zealand in June 2014.

But far from saying his best days are behind him, Cockerill believes Tuilagi can recover from injury issues in the manner of Jonny Wilkinson, tipping him to return a better player.

'If you look at Wilkinson as an example, he had a lot of injuries over a long time, went to Toulon and was the European player of the year,' he added.

Tuilagi has been suffering with a groin injury but is making steady progress

'I've every confidence Manu will make a full recovery and I don't think you've seen the best of him. He's still a young man, he's still got a lot of rugby in him.'

Leicester are a team under pressure after a chastening 42-13 defeat away to Glasgow last Friday. On Sunday they face the team that beat them in the semi-final of last year's Champions Cup, Racing 92.

And while Cockerill admitted another defeat would make chances of qualification for the knockout stage 'slim', he relishes the challenge.

'I am up for the battle,' he said.

'The pressure has been there from the start. I joined club in 1992 and there was pressure to win. All these years later, it is still there. There is no shock in that.

Head coach Eddie Jones will lead his side out against Argentina in November at Twickenham

'I'm not going to shirk responsibility, if the team plays as badly as that, it's my responsibility, but I'll make sure it gets sorted out.

'The longevity of a coach relies on his ability to adapt and work hard and when the pressure comes on he has to front up and crack on.

'Otherwise you just go into your shell, you look at your toes and you end up getting the sack. That's not really my style.