England lock George Kruis will miss the summer tour of South Africa after suffering an ankle injury, according to a report on BBC Sport.
The Saracens star will miss the three-Test series in the summer in order to undergo ankle surgery.
Kruis is just one of a number of players who will be absent from the England squad, with the most high profile player missing out being captain Dylan Hartley.
England are scheduled to tour South Africa in June but Kruis is prioritising his recovery. The lock is hoping to make a speedy recovery in order to be fit for pre-season as well as the 2019 World Cup.
England head coach Eddie Jones will not definitely be without six of his front-line stars for the tour and must choose the replacements carefully.
Jones is desperate for his side to show some fighting spirit during the tour after suffering an embarrassing Six Nations campaign this year.
Saracens boss Mark McCall confirmed that he will miss the tour. He said:
He’s not going to tour, no. He’s going to have surgery at the end of the season.
It will be interesting to see how England cope without some of their key players during the tour.
