Samoan international captain Chris Vui is set to return for Bristol Bears for Friday night's derby showdown with Bath Rugby in Round Seven of the Gallagher Premiership.
The return of the powerful second row comes as a huge boost to Pat Lam's side who are already sitting top of the table following their 20-7 victory away at Exeter Chiefs last time out.
Vui fractured his hand in the opening game of the 2020/21 season away at Wasps when he collided with the face of second row team mate Joe Joyce.
A beaming Lam said: "Chris Vui is back available for selection now which is awesome.
"He actually had a fracture in his hand which we didn't realise initially when we first diagnosed him.
"It was only a stress fracture and he could have come back in time for the Champions Cup games which have been cancelled so this has given it even more time to settle and heal.
"He is now fully fit and raring to go.
"He did it in the first game of the season against Wasps so he is pretty pumped and looking forward to it.
"Other than him we have just got bumps and niggles but there is a good group to select from.
Lam now has a serious, but welcomed, selection headache in the second row with former Bath man Dave Attwood and Joe Joyce both receiving rave reviews this season, while the athletic Ed Holmes is set to return from a rest period.
Vui scored a superb try in the corner at The Rec the last time Bristol faced Bath, beating their derby rivals 19-13.
However there is no return in site for first choice hooker Harry Thacker, with Lam quick to play down expectations of an impending return.
Lam said: "I never said he would be back in January, I said he would be back in the New Year, so everyone [jumped to a conclusion] thought January.
"Thacks is still working away, he had neck surgery earlier in the year and he is working his way back with the medical team."
Lam also confirmed that once again the Bears had been given a clean bill of health in Monday's league mandated Covid testing although he is still awaiting results of today's second round of testing which has been implement at every Premiership club this month.
Bristol will be without their England international players, Max Malins, Ben Earl and Harry Randall who are in a pre-Six Nations training camp, but will have the services of fly-half Callum Sheedy who returns from a training camp with Wales today.
England prop Kyle Sinckler will serve the first week of two week ban after being suspended for swearing at referee Karl Dickson in the victory over Exeter Chiefs.
