England have suffered another blow before the Six Nations, with Sale Sharks prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour ruled out after picking up a shoulder injury in training.
The 21-year-old, who has already been sidelined since November with an elbow problem, will need surgery and is expected to miss the next couple of months. That means he will not be available for England’s Six Nations campaign, which starts against Wales on 7 February.
Opoku-Fordjour has six England caps and played against Australia and Argentina in the autumn. Although he can play on both sides of the front row, he has recently been used mainly at tighthead.
His absence further weakens England’s options at tighthead prop, with Will Stuart already ruled out of the tournament because of a serious Achilles injury.
Younger players like Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon and Northampton’s Trevor Davison could now be called upon, while Leicester’s Joe Heyes has become even more important for England.
Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said the injury was a huge disappointment but praised Opoku-Fordjour’s mindset, saying he is mentally strong and already focused on coming back fitter and stronger.
