Witch doctor.

England and Leicester Manu Tuilagi hopes to be back in action by mid-December, and reckons his injury nightmare might finally be behind him after visiting a witch doctor in Samoa.

Tuilagi travelled back to his homeland of Samoa last week to see a spiritual healer on the island of Upolu, an hour’s boat ride from the mainland. The powerful centre is currently recovering from a knee problem, the latest in a long series of injuries.

Tuilagi was lathered in a special Fijian massage oil for four days to lock out the deadly female ghouls who turned his last three seasons into a nightmare.

“I saw the witch doctor for two hours a day. She is half-Fijian and half-Samoan.” Tuilagi told the Sun.

“It’s a spiritual thing. My mum spoke to her and asked for her help before I got out there and the witch doctor said she had found out what the illness was.

“She massaged my whole body, all I needed was a towel and a Fijian oil. She found out that there were three lady spirits who had married themselves onto me for the last three years.

“The witch doctor told me that was why I had been injured. The spirits wanted me for themselves, they wanted to punish me and injuring me was the way to do it. Every time I played — bang!

“Instead of beating me physically they made sure I was injured. But that is gone now and the whole body massages have blocked the spirits from me.

“They can’t see and find me now — but maybe when it comes out in this newspaper they will know again!

“This is the first time I have done it and I hope to be back in mid-December. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

The former Lions centre says he was given the blessing of his club Leicester and boss Matt O’Connor to travel home for the treatment.

“I was given my programme — pilates, physio and rehab — which I would do after seeing the witch doctor. I was with my brother Alex. The conditions of the treatment meant I wasn’t able to go anywhere on my own.

“I wasn’t allowed to sleep in the room by myself, so me and Alex set up a little camp in the living room in front of the TV.

“In most of these cases, the girls end up taking their victims alive and will never be seen.”

Tuilagi has also apologised for his behaviour in England camp over the summer, that saw head coach Eddie Jones send him and teammate Denny Solomona home for turning up to training hungover.

“Eddie has been okay with me. He was disappointed, but we talked and I explained my reasons and he understood.

“Mentally, it was a factor. It was frustration at not being able to do what I wanted to do on the training pitch and that came into it.

“But there is no excuse for it, it’s unacceptable. Whatever has happened has happened, it’s gone and I will move forward.”