"The injury is coming along every session I take, but I'm just taking it session by session at the moment," Lynch said last night.

The 31-year-old played a full role at corner back in an A v B team training game at Pairc Ui Chaoimh last night.

"When you are coming back like that, you have to take it as it comes and that's what I'm doing now."

And although indications suggest that Cork manager Conor Counihan will hand Lynch a starting role against Tyrone, the Naomh Aban clubman is not taking anything for granted.

"Well I'm not straight back in yet. There is no team picked yet and I'm just taking it day-by-day at the moment.

"I was coming back slowly and doing my own stuff all along and working with the backroom team here a lot. They have helped me an awful lot."

And Lynch conceded that it has been frustrating to watch Cork's recent games from the bench.

"Any time you are missing Championship games for Cork you are going to be frustrated regardless. That's the thing with injuries - you just have to get your head around them.

"You have to start from scratch really and begin again. It's important to be positive about it as well, because every player gets frustrated with injuries.

"It's probably the worst thing that can happen a player really," he added.

Lynch's career has been dogged by injuries including a leg injury during Cork's league campaign last year. However he's glad to be back on the road to another quick recovery.

"Every session I'm definitely making progress, which is always good."

Looking on from the Croke Park stands, Lynch was suitably 'impressed' with Cork's workmanlike display against Donegal.

"We had a job to do and we did it. All the lads individually had a job to do and they all did it and impressed very well.

"I think Donegal probably suffered from the view that our lads were fresh, and Donegal probably weren't. That was bound to catch up on them. They took major scalps in the two weeks before that.

"A fortnight before they beat us, they played Derry, a highly fancied Derry side, and they then took Galway out.

"Coming up to Croke Park to meet us, I suppose we had the advantage that we had the freshness. I was delighted for the lads, the way they pulled through and got the result."

Despite his defensive colleagues leaking 2-10 during that quarter-final win, Lynch was not overly concerned.

"I thought when the game opened up like that everyone was driving on. We played so well and these things happen.

"We are lucky with that at the moment, but I thought the lads played very well individually and overall as a team."

But the two-time All-Star is fully aware that his side will have to find an extra gear or two to get past defending champions Tyrone next week.

"I think it will be a very tough challenge - they are the All-Ireland champions and it will be very tough for us. It's a big game, a great opportunity and we're looking forward to it.

"Tyrone are known for their intensity, but we wouldn't be too used to playing against them. We'll just wait and see what happens on the day."