England centre Manu Tuilagi is taking his rehabilitation 'week by week ' as the powerhouse midfielder continues his recovery from a troublesome groin injury that has sidelined him for most of the season . Tuilagi has been out of action since October and missed the autumn internationals as well as England 's entire RBS 6 Nations campaign - but the 23-year-old is targeting a return to action in the summer in time for his country 's pre-World Cup preparations . 'The injuries coming along well , ' Tuilagi told Kicca.com . Manu Tuilagi has not featured for England since the three-Test summer tour of New Zealand in 2014 . ' I 'm doing this training at St Georges Park . Training in the altitude chamber trying to speed up my fitness . I 'm taking it week by week - I have n't got a set date for a goal that I need to be fit and a time that I need to be fit in time for . ' Tuilagi 's last appearance in an England shirt was during the three-Test summer tour of New Zealand in 2014 . The Tigers three-quarter impressed throughout the series and looked set to have a stellar season in 2015 before he picked up the injury playing against Ulster in October . Leicester Tigers centre Tuilagi has been out of action since his picked up a groin injury in October . Tuilagi has struggled with the injury all season with Richard Cockerill , Tigers ' director of rugby , recently confirming that the England star was highly unlikely to play any rugby this campaign . ' I thought I was out for eight weeks originally , ' Tuilagi explained . 'And then I had a scan again later on and they said `` It 's very bad '' - I split my pubus and ... it 's been tough since then . It 's been very frustrating watching your team-mates ( from the sideline ) . You ca n't do anything about it - all you have to do is your rehab and recovery . ' Tuilagi 's absence has allowed other players to stake their claim in England 's midfield with Bath 's Jonathan Joseph filing the number 13 with aplomb during the championship . 'JJ had a brilliant Six Nations and is a fantastic player . There 's a lot of competition in the team but it 's always been that way . Your spot in the team is never set ; if you do n't perform well , you 'll lose your spot and that 's just the way it is . ' Bath centre Jonathan Joseph flourished at outside centre for England in the RBS 6 Nations . England will begin their preparations for the World Cup with a two-week training camp at Pennyhill Park in early July . The squad will then embark on a trip to Colorado in Texas for a fortnight of high-intensity training at high-altitude before returning for three warm-up games against France ( twice ) and Ireland prior to the tournament - and Tuilagi is hoping to be back in the mix for selection by then . 'When you get injured , that 's when you realise how much you love the game , ' Tuilagi added . 'Sometimes you forget that when you 're playing a lot . I just ca n't wait to get back . '
mark Tuilagi has been out of action since October . The Leicester Tigers squad has struggled with a knee injury all season . Tuilagi is expected to be back in time for rugby 's pre - season Cup plans .