British & Irish Lions winger Simon Zebo is in contention for his first taste of action for Munster for 12 weeks after the club revealed he had returned to training.
The 23-year-old, who made three appearances for the tourists in Australia this summer, has been sidelined since October with a foot injury.
Last week, Munster head coach Rob Penney admitted he hoped to have Zebo back in training imminently but he admitted his flying winger would not be rushed back to action, saying: "Obviously because of the nature of his injury we'll just be ultra-cautious. We've got some good boys going in the back three, if he's not right, he's not right.
"We don't need to try to force him because he's really important to Irish rugby I think.
"He's probably been shut out (of the Ireland set-up) at the moment, so he just needs to come back and be in good form when he comes back so he can try to force his claims."
And while Zebo’s return to training has come a little later than expected, it comes as a major boost for Munster ahead of their European Cup clash with Gloucester this weekend.
A club statement released on Monday read: “Zebo is back training after a 12-week absence caused by a cracked bone in his left foot – an injury picked up in the Heineken Cup opener against Edinburgh.”
