England suffer Six Nations blow as Jonny May ruled out of opener against Scotland

Winger will miss tournament due to knee ligament injury

England have been dealt a major blow ahead of the Six Nations after winger Jonny May was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee ligament injury.

The 32-year-old suffered the injury during Gloucester's Gallagher Premiership defeat to Northampton Saints on Sunday and will now undergo surgery.

May is one of England's most experienced players, having won 65 caps for his country. He was expected to play a key role in Steve Borthwick's new-look team.

Borthwick will now have to find a replacement for May, with Saracens' Max Malins the frontrunner to start against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4.

May's injury is a major setback for England, who are already without a number of other key players, including Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje and Henry Slade.

England will be hoping to bounce back from their disappointing World Cup campaign, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by South Africa.