Tuilagi played 69 minutes in Leicester’s bonus-point win at Newcastle, a day after Wales centre and Lions team-mate Jonathan Davies returned from a similar injury for the Scarlets.
The Samoan-born star hadn’t played since September 21 even though the initial prognosis suggested he could be back as early as late November.
Tuilagi sat out England’s autumn games against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand and the opening three rounds of the RBS 6 Nations, as well as all six group games in the Heineken Cup and 12 Aviva Premiership fixtures, but he now says he would jump at the chance to face Wales at Twickenham on Sunday.
“If Stuart (England coach Stuart Lancaster) asks me if I’m ready to play I’ll say ‘absolutely’,” said Tuilagi. “Of course, I would be nervous but I always like to be nervous before a game, it keeps me on my toes.
“I knew that in the first game back I was bound to be nervous, but I just wanted that ball and I was happy with the first tackle and impact.
“I felt pretty good out there after all the training I have been doing and I’ve worked hard to get myself back to this point. I feel I’ve knocked the rust off my game. I would have liked to play the whole game and felt I could have.
“I spoke to Stuart last weekend and he said to come down after the game and train and we’ll see how it goes. The boys are doing really well and it’ll be really good for me to just go down there and get settled back in and take things from there.”
Lancaster has named Gloucester’s Billy Twelvetrees and Northampton’s Luther Burrell as his starting centres in all three games so far in the Championship and pundits are predicting that he will stick with that selection as his side look to avoid a fourth successive defeat to Wales for the first time since the seventies.
Burrell has scored two tries in the tournament having made his debut in the narrow defeat in France, while Twelvetrees has started the last six internationals since his late call up to the Lions in the summer.
Leicester boss Richard Cockerill admits that this weekend may come too soon for Tuilagi, although his return is undoubtedly a boost for the Tigers’ own hopes of domestic and European success.
“Manu was a bit rusty,” said Cockerill. “He was rusty in defence and all at sea at times but, physically, he was very good.
“Having him back breeds confidence in your team because you know how good he can be and what he can do. But it also puts fear into the opposition who know that they are lining up against a world-class player.
“It’s a shame that we have a couple of weeks break now. Manu will go and train with England and they will decide what they want to do with him.”
