Wasps issue injury update and it's grim reading for England fans

Director of rugby Dai Young has issued an injury update ahead of this Saturday’s Aviva Premiership meeting with Gloucester at the Ricoh Arena.

"Our club doctor has taken a look at Nathan Hughes, Elliot Daly and Jimmy Gopperth to assess the injuries they suffered against La Rochelle.

"He thought they should all get an MRI scan, and when the scans came back it didn’t look particularly good news.

"They are all seeing specialists tomorrow (Wednesday), so we’ll know more then, but we can certainly say they’ll be out for a few weeks.

"Elliot has injured his ankle – he has a syndesmosis injury – which is pretty common.

"He is going to see the specialist to see whether any surgical intervention is required, which depending on the grade of the injury hopefully it won’t be.

"Jimmy and Nathan both have MCL injuries to their knees. Again, we’re waiting on the specialist to let us know what is required, but we can safely say even the best picture, which is a grade one tear, will require a minimum of four weeks.

"It’s obviously very disappointing for the players, who are all having really good seasons, but they know it’s part and parcel of the game, and they’ll all work hard to get back as soon as possible.

"On a more positive note, Josh Bassett is available again, as is Marcus Watson who played in the A League last night.

"Guy Thompson will also be available for selection providing he comes through training OK in the next few days, and Kyle Eastmond also came back last weekend."

"It’s a very physical game these days, and players do pick up injuries.

"Unfortunately, we’ve had a worse run this season than over the last few years, but most of them have been contact injuries and there’s very little we can do about that."

Following their consultations, the diagnoses are as follows:

Jimmy Gopperth: No operation required. Estimated recovery is between 10 and 12 weeks.

Nathan Hughes: No operation required. Estimated recovery is between 8 and 10 weeks.

Elliot Daly: No operation is required. Estimated recovery is between 10 and 12 weeks.