Potential Lions fly-half Danny Cipriani has given Ian McGeechan a huge boost by announcing that he hopes to be back in action ahead of schedule.
The prodigious young Englishman suffered a fracture dislocation to his ankle in the Guinness Premiership semi-final against Bath in May and had been expected to be ruled out until November at the earliest.
However, with his rehab progressing well, the 20-year-old Wasp intends to be back in club colours in October.
"I have been running for three weeks and I’m hoping to be playing at the end of October," he told BBC Sport.
"If things keep going as well as they have been, that’s where I will be. If it goes well, it could be sooner."
Having made a stunning entrance on to the domestic and international scene, Cipriani has become a serious contender for the No10 jersey when the Lions travel to South Africa next year.
"If I play well for my club, hopefully I’ll get picked to play for England. If I play well for England, you never know what might happen.
"The way I have looked at it is that I’m not going to think about the Lions and I’m not going to think about England, I’m going to think about playing well for my club.
"I just can’t wait to be playing because I have no doubt in my mind I will be fitter and stronger than before.”
