Manu Tuilagi will miss England‘s Autumn Tests in November after suffering a torn pectoral muscle.
The Leicester and England centre, who sustained the injury against Newcastle on Saturday, underwent scans earlier this week which revealed he doesn’t need surgery.
Tigers boss Richard Cockerill suggested he could be out for up to two months but with only non-intrusive rehab to go through, Tuilagi could return in time to face Montpellier in the Heineken Cup in December.
With Tulagi and Brad Barritt sidelined with injury, Stuart Lancaster would be left with only two fit centres to choose from in Billy Twelvetrees and Kyle Eastmont who makes his return on Saturday after missing the last two games with a knee injury.