England have been dealt an injury blow ahead of the upcoming Six Nations as vice-captain Jamie George suffered a hamstring injury.

George, who was replaced as England captain by Maro Itoje when Steve Borthwick named his squad last Tuesday, limped off in Saracens' Champions Cup defeat on Sunday.

The hooker came on in the 55th minute but was unable to see out the game, with Saracens unable to confirm how serious the injury is.

"Jamie has hurt his hamstring. We're not quite sure how serious that hamstring is at the moment," Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said.

Borthwick's decision to replace George with Itoje is thought to have been influenced by his absence in the latter stages of matches, with the front row having often been replaced.

England lost seven of their 12 Tests in 2024 while the 34-year-old was captain, with their only standout victory coming against Ireland in last year's Six Nations.

Borthwick's side begin this year's campaign against Ireland on February 1.