Kieran Foran's miraculous healing ability has been described as Wolverine-like after he was named to make a possible NRL return this weekend.

A luckless Foran was expected to be out for up to three months after undergoing surgery for a serious ankle injury in late March.

But Canterbury's very own X-Man is a chance of lining up against the side mentored by former coach Des Hasler when the Bulldogs tackle Manly on Saturday.

"He's actually got some Wolverine healing about him," Bulldogs teammate Will Hopoate said on Wednesday.

"I'm not 100 per cent sure how he's feeling and how the ankle is going, but he's definitely healing pretty quick and he's done a bit of running.

"They'll give him up to kick off, or I hope they do. It'll be good if he plays for us."

It was Hasler who originally lured Foran to Canterbury on a three-year deal midway through 2017, before the two-time premiership-winning coach was pushed out.

There were suggestions former New Zealand skipper Foran would re-unite with Hasler at Brookvale, however, he has instead stayed put at Belmore.

It is understood Foran avoided a traditional surgery that involved inserting a screw into his ankle, with a tightrope to bound the ligaments together instead.

"Obviously the last few seasons he's had quite a number of setbacks with injuries and it can really cloud a player mentally and emotionally," Hopoate said.

"But he hasn't felt any self-pity in any way. He's just put his head down, he's iced the heck out of his ankle and done a lot of rehab."

Dylan Napa was also ruled out for at least six weeks when he suffered a similar injury not long after Foran, and he too is a surprise chance of returning to face the Sea Eagles.

Both players participated in Wednesday's field session.

The pair's unlikely return comes before the Bulldogs' first clash with Hasler since his inglorious exit from the club two years ago.

Hasler has guided Manly to sixth spot after the opening seven rounds, exceeding widespread expectations of a rebuilding season.

And he's done it without star fullback Tom Trbojevic for the most part, while they also overcame an injury to Daly Cherry-Evans to win last week.

Hasler has improved Manly's defence from a league-worst 26 points per game last year, to 17 per game so far this season - fifth best.

"A lot of teams he's coached, he focuses a lot on defence. We're expecting a physical battle and for them to turn up defensively," Hopoate said.

"I think that's what has won them a lot of the games this year, their defence.

"That's something been a bit inconsistent with throughout the year."