England's Sam Underhill is left an injury doubt for the Six Nations after Bath announced he needed ankle surgery.
The 28-year-old injured his ankle during Bath's 35-34 defeat by Premier League champions Northampton on Sunday.
Bath issued a medical update to say he will “undergo surgery to correct a new ankle injury” with no “definite time frame for recovery”.
Underhill, since being left out of England's original Rugby World Cup squad in 2023, has established himself as a regular in Steve Borthwick's starting side in the open side.
He started every match for England after the 2023 World Cup, playing in the final two autumn defeats to South Africa and Japan, scoring a try in both.
It was an ankle injury that kept Underhill, who made 40 caps, out of Borthwick's opening autumn Tests against New Zealand and Australia.
He joins England's growing injury list, with winger Emmanuel Faye-Wabuso in danger of missing the Six Nations tournament with a dislocated shoulder, while full-back George Furbank suffers a broken arm.
