Worcester Warriors' England international prop Matt Mullan has been ruled out of the start of the new Premiership season after he dislocated his right shoulder.
The twenty-three year old must now undergo surgery which will rule him out for three-to-four months and therefore most probably the Autumn Internationals.
"We are bitterly disappointed for Matt in what was a freak accident during training,"Warriors head coach Richard Hill told the BBC.
"Clearly he will miss the early part of the season which is a crucial time."
Hill added: "It is a double blow as I had talked to Matt about the vice-captaincy.
Mullan is a product of the Warriors academy and made his debut for England in the Six Nations against Italy. He missed the end of the tournament as he was struggling with a different shoulder problem.
"The injury was not to the shoulder that ruled him out towards the end of last season and we had hoped it would not require surgical intervention," Hill continued.
"However he has now seen the consultant, following his wedding at the weekend, and will need an operation.
"The club will now do everything we possibly can to ensure he returns to full fitness as soon as possible and we are liaising closely with the England medical team.
"Fortunately our front row resources are a particularly strong area of the squad.
"We have recruited two props during the summer, in Bruce Douglas and Oliver Tomaszczyk, to add extra strength to our front-row options."
