The Scarlets reckon Rhys Priestland could make an early return from injury – but head coach Simon Easterby insists he will not rush the Wales star back.
The fly-half ruptured his Achilles while on Heineken Cup duty against Exeter Chiefs in December.
It was initially feared Priestland would miss the remainder of the season – ending his Lions hopes – but he could yet feature in the Scarlets RaboDirect play-off push.
A return to action would keep his slim hopes of being named in the touring party alive but he faces a race against time with Warren Gatland set to name his squad on April 30.
But Easterby, a Lions tourist in 2005, is cautiously optimistic the fly-half will be back.
"I'm not going to put any pressure on him," said Easterby.
"I think he feels refreshed after having a break from competitive rugby.
"He's feeling really good about himself and he's feeling really good about his Achilles but that will be totally down to him whether he plays this season or not.
"If he's right, he'll come into contention.
''If he's not right, we wouldn't expect to push him and cause a setback. He's had a really good block of a couple of months of training.”
Priestland recently spent time at the English Football Association’s St George’s Park training head quarters.
"He went with Andy Walker, our head physio, to St George's Park, the England soccer base,” added Easterby
"He had a really good week there, so he's progressing really well.
"At the moment, he's looking really good."
