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England centre Henry Slade will miss the start of the Premiership season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

The Exeter player picked up the injury during the Six Nations but was able to carry on playing for the rest of last season and go on tour to New Zealand with England.

He is expected to be out for three to four months, meaning he faces a race to be fit in time for England's autumn internationals against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan.

“We were aware that there was a slight issue, as were England, and it has slightly worsened throughout the summer tour," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told the club website.

"After having the shoulder re-scanned and checking in with how Henry feels about his shoulder, we’ve made the decision that now is the right time to have the operation.

“It’s a relatively complex operation which, at this stage, makes it a little difficult to talk about his return to play time. It is likely to be in the three-to-four-month range so unfortunately, he is going to miss a good chunk of the start of the season with us."

Slade scored 201 points in all competitions last season for Exeter and was named Premiership player of the season.

He also scored a try against Japan and started both of England's defeats to the All Blacks during the international summer tour.

Baxter is confident that the 31-year-old, who signed a new contract at Exeter earlier in May, will be back to his best when he does return.

“History has taught us plenty of times that Henry is an incredibly good rehabber.

"He will return very fit, as he’s been on great form for club and country.

"Although this is unfortunate, we know he’s going to work very hard, and I predict he will still have a very big impact on next season both for us and for England.”