Northampton lock Courtney Lawes has suffered a setback in his bid to be fit for the new Aviva Premiership season.
The England international, who has been sidelined since February with a series of problems, suffered an elbow injury during pre-season training and has since undergone an operation to rectify the problem. But Saints are still hopeful the 23-year-old will be fit for the season-opener against Gloucester on September 1.
"Courtney has had an operation on an elbow injury and is rehabbing well," a club spokesman told the Northamptonshire Telegraph.
Lawes missed the majority of England's Six Nations campaign with a knee injury and as a result his contribution was limited to an appearance off the bench against Wales. He was later struck down with a shine injury that ruled him out of the Saints' Premiership run-in.
However, he retained his place in the latest England Elite Player Squad that was announced earlier this month.
