England flanker Sam Underhill is unlikely to feature in the Six Nations after his club Bath revealed he will need ankle surgery.

Underhill suffered the injury while coming on as a substitute in Sunday’s 35-34 defeat at Northampton and looks set to miss the entire Championship with no date given for his return.

“Sam will undergo surgery to correct a new ankle injury. There is no set timetable for his recovery,” Bass’ medical update said.

England are well stocked at the back but losing Underhill would still be a major blow for manager Steve Borthwick.

The 28-year-old re-established himself last year after being overlooked in England’s 2023 World Cup squad, starting in the Six Nations and featuring in all three Tests during the summer’s tours of Japan and New Zealand.

An ankle injury during the tour required surgery, delaying the start of the new season and forcing him to miss the first two games of the autumn against the All Blacks and Australia.

But in the games against South Africa and Japan, he resumed the game in the open and had a shot in each game, and his overall performance was impressive.

A veteran of 40 England caps, Underhill brings a strong physical presence to the England team, particularly in defence, where he is one of the most devastating tacklers in the game.

It’s the latest injury for Borthwick, who has winger Emmanuel Faye-Waboso missing the entire game with a dislocated shoulder and full-back George Furbank struggling with a broken arm.

However, wing Ollie Chessum is close to returning from a knee injury, while forward Alex Mitchell is also fully recovered from a neck problem.

Borthwick will announce his Six Nations squad on Tuesday ahead of a tricky opener against Ireland in Dublin on February 1.

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