Eddie Jones has labelled Manu Tuilagi as the only player at his disposal able to “demolish the All Blacks” after seizing the opportunity to call the fit-again centre back into the England frame.

Tuilagi has not played since January following a knee injury – the latest in a long line of fitness problems – but was among the 37-man squad called into this weekend’s camp. The 26-year-old has made one appearance under Jones – off the bench against Wales during the 2016 Six Nations – but the head coach has not forgotten Tuilagi’s bulldozing performance in England’s victory over New Zealand in 2012. Tuilagi scored one try and set up two inside eight minutes as Stuart Lancaster’s England romped to a 38-21 win at Twickenham.

Jones revealed he met with Tuilagi in Leicester before England’s two-Test tour victory over Argentina and while the head coach said the centre is “a hell of a long way from Test rugby”, he intends to unleash him during the autumn internationals against Argentina, Australia and Samoa if his rehabilitation continues to progress.

“I know he can demolish the All Blacks, so he’s worth time, he’s worth effort and worth a lot of care,” said Jones. “He’s just got to get fit and healthy. The more he works hard and diligently, the more chance he has of playing. Everything looks pretty positive so we’ve just got to pray that this positivity keeps going and he has a period where he is injury-free and can show what he is capable of. If his motivation and desire’s right, he can be an outstanding player for us and add to the depth of the squad.”

Asked if the British & Irish Lions’s second Test victory over the All Blacks put the seven England players involved on the same level as Tuilagi, Jones said: “I don’t think anyone’s done it with the Lions … No one has ripped them apart – apart from Manu.”

Nine of the 11 debutants in England’s two-Test tour of Argentina have been selected for the camp with Jones reserving special praise for the openside flankers Sam Underhill and Tom Curry. Jones also revealed that James Haskell is nursing a finger injury and is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks.

The squad also includes the fit-again Billy Vunipola, who Jones says “has the potential to be the best player in the world”, and seven of England’s 15 Lions. The other eight opted to remain on their summer breaks and Jones said they will be assessed further down the line, again hinting he may rest some players for the autumn internationals.

“The next 18 months is crucial in us finalising our World Cup squad,” said Jones. “We’re probably 75% down the road. So that other 25% we’ve got greater competition and greater depth. New Zealand for probably the first time ever are experiencing some problems with their depth. There are definitely gaps in their team that they didn’t previously have. They will fix it but it certainly makes them more vulnerable than they were before and we saw that in the Lions series.”

Having started all three Tests in New Zealand, Jamie George is among the Lions attending the three-day camp in Teddington where he will renew his England rivalry with Dylan Hartley, who took his win record since Jones made him captain to 19 out of 20 matches in Argentina.

“[The captaincy] is always up for grabs. If he comes to camp and he’s in bad condition, or he has a bad attitude, he won’t be captain,” said Jones. “If he comes to camp, he’s fit, leads by example, he captains the first Test.

“Dylan knows; it’s not something that’s he’s anointed at – he’s not a Lord or a Sir – it doesn’t stick with him for life. It’s a role that he plays, and when he plays it well he keeps the job. If he doesn’t play it well there are other people that can do it.”