Munster defence coach Denis Leamy says he's confident the best of Malakai Fekitoa is yet to come, despite the new signing's slow start to life at the province.
The former All Black centre, and current Tonga international, has been left out of the side in recent weeks, with head coach Graham Rowntree instead opting for Antoine Frisch and Rory Scannell in his midfield.
Fekitoa started six of the province's first seven games of the season, but has found himself surplus to requirements in recent weeks, with a 17-minute substitute appearance against the South African Select XV in Cork his only action in the last four matches.
The 30-year-old was a high-profile signing, brought in to replace Damian de Allende, and while he doesn't appear to be in the province's short-term plans, defence coach Leamy says the former Wasps and Toulon star is making good progress behind the scenes.
"Mala is doing very well," Leamy said. "We see him on a day-in and day-out basis, we're constantly talking to Mala in terms of how he gets across whet the coaches want.
"We have a lot of players who are playing very well, so selection is becoming very hot. There's loads of debate around our different options.
"Mala is doing very well and I think he'll be a big player for us going forward, no doubt."
While Scannell and Frisch have started together in each of the last three games, Jack Crowley showed his versatility by coming on in the centre during the second half of last weekend's Heineken Champions Cup defeat to Toulouse, and Leamy says the Ireland international is constantly adding layers to his game.
"I thought Jack did really well, he's obviously a very talented lad, he has loads of ability and gives us a lot in a 12 jersey.
"It's great to have backs, especially, that can play in different positions. It's probably the way the game is going, you must have the ability to play across the backline, and Jack can do that at 12 or 10 of 15.
"In phase-play he can play out the back, and bring players into the game with his little subtle skills, and he also has the ability to linebreak. He's a player that has an awful lot of talent, and he'll improve as well as he progresses through his career."
Munster's Champions Cup campaign started with a rare Thomond Park defeat, but their overall performance was well received by pundits, with the province's attacking game growing week on week.
And while Leamy says there was "loads of good stuff" in their display, they have to make improvements ahead of a crucial meeting with Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens on Sunday.
"We're very much a work in progress, that's a fact.
"We had a good chat around things we need to improve on, and how we defend from maul phases, and obviously the threat that Northampton will bring."
The Saints were heavily beaten by La Rochelle in their opener at Stade Marcel Deflandre, but Phil Dowson's side have one of the most potent attacks in the Premiership, with a joint-high 37 tries so far this season.
"They're a side that had a tough weekend last week, but they have a lot of quality in their team, and they're the best in terms of gainline attack in the Premiership at the moment. They're going to present challenges in many ways," Leamy [pictured above] added.
"We have to be very measured in what we do. It's a battle of the gainline really in terms of who is going to win it, pure and simple.
"We have to be very good in our contacts, obviously we have to set ourselves up to be good in the tackle, to be good in our two-man shots, to apply pressure around the breakdown in a constructive manner, not to give away penalties.
"The last thing we want to do is dive into rucks and expose ourselves in terms of our defensive chain, or else give away penalties which allows access deep into the 22 and allows that mauling game to come into play.
"So we have to be very measured, we have to be aggressive. Our line speed, our connections, they've got [Alex] Mitchell at 9 who will test us around the rucks. So in terms of our pillar and our next defender out from that, we've to be very calculated and disciplined in our roles."
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