LONDON (Reuters) - England and Northampton prop Alex Corbisiero will undergo knee surgery on Tuesday and is doubtful for the Six Nations tournament starting in February.
"Six Nations is a very long way off for him, I think his focus is on getting himself fit and back in the Northampton squad," Northampton's director of rugby Jim Mallinder told reporters on Saturday.
"It's an operation which is just a bit of a clean out, nothing major, he just has a bit of a niggle.
"It's not good for him, he is being positive and we are being positive. The surgeon is pretty positive he can sort him out, so he will go under the knife and hopefully he'll be back sooner rather than later."
Corbisiero, 27, last started a test for England in 2012 and has not played for his country since August, when he came on for 18 minutes as a replacement against France in a World Cup warm-up at Twickenham.
He injured his back in that game and was ruled out for the World Cup, where the host nation failed to reach the knockout stage after defeats by Wales and Australia.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis)
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
