Chris Pennell to miss start of the upcoming season for Worcester Warriors

England fullback Chris Pennell is certain to miss the start of the Aviva Premiership for Worcester Warriors after he was sidelined with a neck injury.

The 29-year-old has been an integral part of the Worcester setup after he joined the club in 2007 and has played over 100 games in the Aviva Premiership scoring 126 points in it.

Pennell, whose career was marred with various injuries has not joined the camp in France for the pre-season training and has already been ruled out of the opening game of the 2016/17 season against Saracens on 3rd September.

High performance director of Worcester Warriors Nick Johnston expressed disappointment on missing the services of Pennell and is hopeful of his replacement grabbing the opportunity.

"It is disappointing to lose someone of Chris' ability and experience but our continued focus on squad development means we have players who can take the opportunity to step up," said Johnston told www.warriors.co.uk.

"Chris is working closely with our medical department to ensure he can return to fitness as soon as possible."

In the 2015-16 season, Pennell appeared in 22 games and managed to score two tries in it while topping the league stats for metres made.