HENRY Trinder is fit and ready to take on London Wasps at Kingsholm in the LV= Cup on Saturday (3pm).
The Gloucester centre has recovered from a groin injury that has kept him on the sidelines for the past few weeks.
But instead of dwelling on missed England opportunities, the 24-year-old is focused on the impact he can have for Gloucester.
Last autumn Trinder was closing in on his first England cap, but the injury has put his international ambitions at both full and Saxons level on hold for now.
Saturday's cup clash may appear to have little riding on it because neither side can progress to the semi-final, but Trinder does not see it that way.
He believes it is an opportunity to force himself back into the England reckoning while at the same time helping to turn Gloucester's season around.
The former Hartpury College man said: "As a player you have to focus on what you control and at the moment that is Gloucester.
"Though it is disappointing to miss out on the Saxons games and the first team as well, hopefully by the end of the season I can put in some good performances and ask some questions.
"That's the aim – to concentrate on Gloucester at the moment and see where I go from there.
"The recognition you get is off the back of your team playing well and climbing up the league so at the minute it's all hands on deck for Gloucester
"It has been frustrating with the England stuff – I was there and thereabouts and to not be selected because of injury was very frustrating.
"I was 80 to 90 per cent fit but at that level you don't want to go into games like that because you will get found out. I had to take a step back from that and focus on my rehab.
"It has been frustrating missing out on all that and the games we had in the Heineken Cup as well, but I'm at the stage now where I can see light at the end of the tunnel."
Gloucester lie ninth in the Premiership, despite ambitions of a top-four finish at the start of the season.
But promising Heineken Cup performances against Perpignan and Munster have boosted the squad's belief that a resurgence in form is possible in the Amlin Challenge Cup and the league and Trinder is ready to play to his part.
He said: "I'm ready to come back in and do my job.
"The boys are slowly finding form again and it will just take that one game and everything will click. The game against Wasps is the one we want to do that in so that we have some momentum going into the Premiership again.
"We have some tough games in the Premiership coming up – a lot of away games against big teams like Leicester and Sale.
"We were expecting a lot of ourselves. We had high standards for this season and they didn't work out that way but we are trying to put things right as best as we can."
Forwards coach Andrew Stanley is looking forward to Trinder returning.
He said: "He brings an ability to make some breaks down the outside centre channel.
"Everybody knows what sort of player he could potentially be. He's a real attacking threat to have available for us.
"Obviously he is someone England are interested in and he's got to make sure he keeps nailing down performances for us and he will get that recognition."
