Tuesday 9 September 2014 20:12, UK
Leicester head coach Richard Cockerill fears captain Ed Slater may miss the entire season having undergone reconstructive surgery on his knee.
The 26-year-old lock has been sidelined since captaining England's midweek side to a 38-7 victory over Super 15 outfit the Crusaders in New Zealand in June.
Initial reports suggested Slater would be out for 'several months' but Cockerill has lifted the lid on the severity of the injury and cast his participation at next year's World Cup into doubt.
Cockerill said: "It's horrific for Ed in many ways. He has been in the England squad and just taken on the captaincy here at the club.
"He will come back better and fresher than ever, whenever that may be. As ever, we will stick by him.
"It's a critical year for us and for him with the World Cup coming up, and the likelihood is that he is not going to play a game between now and pre-season next year.
"He will probably spend the next 12 weeks off his feet and it will be a long way back. He has had his ACL reconstructed and he will be pretty much out for the season."
England coach Stuart Lancaster still has plenty of options in the second row with Joe Lanchbury, Courtney Lawes and Dave Attwood all vying for a place in the autumn games, which include encounters with New Zealand, South Africa, Samoa and Australia during November.
Leicester began their season in a positive fashion at the weekend with a 36-17 win over Newcastle.
