But the 26-year-old, who claimed the RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam two years ago with France, started training again this week with his club Clermont and has set his sights on a playing return before the end of the campaign, with the French giants still on for a domestic and European double.

He said: “I’ve given myself the goal of playing again before the end of the season. It’s a goal to push myself on.

“If it takes another two or three months, I’ll wait. If everything is ok, why wait any longer? But they aren’t goals which I have to meet. I need to do it right and not rush things.

“I’ve had no contact with Philippe Saint-André yet. Just on the TV. For now the most important thing is to get my form back. To get back into the French team you have to be playing well.

“From the start of the season I’ve been cheering on [Clermont] at Marcel Michelin, I was in the stands. Away from home I watched on TV, especially the Heineken Cup win away to Saracens where they didn’t give an inch in the last quarter of an hour. It was great to see them like that on the pitch.”