Bernard Jackman says he would have no concerns about Robbie Henshaw's match fitness, and the Leinster man would be his preferred partner for Garry Ringrose in the centre against Scotland.
Henshaw and Ringrose both missed Ireland's Round 3 Guinness Six Nations win against Italy last week through injury, with Ringrose picking up a calf issue last week, while successive hamstring and wrist issues have seen Henshaw sidelined since November.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is hopeful both players will be fit and available for selection for the trip to Murrayfield on 12 March, with Ireland still on course for a Grand Slam success.
Ulster's Stuart McCloskey filled the 12 shirt in Henshaw's absence during November, while he was joined in the centre by Bundee Aki for the recent win in Rome.
However, while the pair looked good in attack, Ireland's midfield was exposed defensively by the Italians.
If fit, Ringrose is almost certain to start at outside centre against Scotland, while Henshsaw, Aki and McCloskey will be vying to play inside him.
And Jackman says he would like to see Henshaw get the nod.
"I'll go back to Robbie [Henshaw] and Garry [Ringrose]," he told the RTÉ Rugby podcast.
"This is a massive threat for us, Scotland. I was really impressed with [Sione] Tuipulotu and Huw Jones' relationship again, Finn Russell asks a lot of questions of any centre partnership in terms of how flat and late he plays to the line."
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Henshaw has played just six games this season for province and country, and his only appearance since 22 October was a four-minute showing against Fiji in November, after which he pulled up injured.
But Jackman believes the 29-year-old has enough credit in the bank to warrant his place in the team.
"I know Robbie hasn't played a huge amount, but I would be comfortable enough putting him back in.
"The relationship he has with Sexton and Ringrose would make up for that lack of gametime, and also looking towards England.
"I think if Robbie Henshaw is fit, he starts. I don't think he needs two or three games to get up to speed to be honest, I would go with the boring answer, back to where we were before Robbie got injured."
Former Leinster, Connacht and Ulster lock Mick Kearney agreed with the call to reunite the Leinster team-mates in the centre, adding that if Henshaw was to have an injury setback, it's better to happen earlier rather than later.
"I'd make the same call. It's a tough decision, considering how well Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose have gone together, there's a massive amount of cohesion there, but in saying that Johnny, Robbie and Garry play together at Leinster week-in and week-out.
"As well as that, by starting Robbie and starting Garry, if Robbie was to pick up a knock early in the game you can always take him off and bring someone else on. If you put Robbie on the bench and bring him on after 50 or 55 minutes and he picks up a knock you're looking at proper reshuffle stuff then.
"In summary, I'd go with Robbie and Garry."
The other big selection Farrell faces is in the back row, where he's likely to have to choose between Peter O'Mahony and Jack Conan.
The Munster captain had been a regular fixture in the starting back row since the latter stages of the 2022 Six Nations, but dropped to the bench against Italy, with Conan starting at number 8, and Caelan Doris shifting across to blindside flanker.
Kearney is expecting to see O'Mahony return to the starting side at Murrayfield.
"I think Ryan Baird is the only one who's pushing Pete from a lineout ability point of view. Peter O'Mahony is essentially a cheat-code when it comes to the lineout when it comes to his effectiveness there.
"In terms of Doris playing eight, I'd completely agree with it, they're very separate positions, and the more you can get him into the game, the better it's going to be for Ireland," he added.
Jackman is also hoping to see Doris return to the base of the scrum, a position he believes gives the Irish back row a better balance.
"He starts at eight, I think it does matter [what position he plays]. He's the best eight in this competition, he may be one of the best eights in the world, and I think it gets him into the game a little bit more.
"I think that balance [is important], Baird is putting big pressure on but I don't think he's done enough to take over from Pete. If Pete was injured I'd have no worries about playing him at six, but the balance of O'Mahony, Van der Flier and Doris has been proven to be very effective in big games. I wouldn't be making a change there."
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