With Simon Zebo's Racing 92 travelling to Limerick this weekend for a Champions Cup clash with Munster, Alan Quinlan considered whether Zebo's changing circumstances in Paris may bring the Cork native closer to home.
Around 15 months after making his competitive debut for Racing 92, Simon Zebo's tenure with the French Top 14 club should be reaching a crucial juncture at this point.
"His contract is up at the end of the season, isn't it," questioned Alan Quinlan on Friday's OTB AM.
"So, he's either negotiating now with Racing or maybe to come back."
A fan of the 29-year-old's playing style, Quinlan doesn't believe he is alone in wishing to see Simon Zebo make the journey home.
"I'd love to see him come back and I'm sure Munster people would love to see him come back," he admitted. "I think [Racing are] even more dangerous than even when ROG was there [with Zebo].
"You could nearly bank on Simon Zebo scoring a try or doing something brilliant and having a great game [on Saturday].
"For various different reasons, his own motivation and the history of the place, I wonder will he do one of these soccer celebrations if he scores?"
Although Quinlan expects Munster to edge Saturday's Champions Cup clash with the French club, he did query whether Zebo - in the new era of Andy Farrell - would have an international future if he were to call an end to his French sojourn.
"Who knows," he ventured, "if there was an announcement pre-Christmas that he was coming back to Munster next year, would he be brought into the Irish set-up for the Six Nations?"
Ultimately, however romantic the notion of a return for Simon Zebo, the financial demands would be severe given the full back's reported earnings in France.
One thing that is certain, however, is that there will be no Irish return by way of Leinster for Zebo.
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