That rules the Edinburgh centre out until the start of March – meaning he will certainly miss the opener against England at Twickenham and home games with Italy and Ireland.

But after being invited to continue his rehab with the main squad, the 28-year-old will cling to any hopes of facing Wales or France.

“ It’s not too definite with this injury, you just have to see how it goes,” De Luca told the Scotsman.

“The minimum is eight weeks from surgery, so six and a half weeks to go, depending on how it heals.

“I just want to get as fit as I can and get training and maybe playing well for Edinburgh, and if there’s an opportunity I’ll take it.

“The recovery is going well, it’s taking a while but I’m on the mend. I’m still positive and upbeat. It’s part of the job and we are all aware of that.

“You can’t get too down on it. I’m keeping myself busy on the analysis side and trying to add something to Edinburgh and get them back on track.

“I’ve been in the game a long time now and this is probably my second longest injury. I was out a couple of seasons ago with my groin for a long period of time. Not that I wasted it but I could have used my time more valuably.”