Leicester Tigers rule England prop Ellis Genge out until 2019 after undergoing knee surgery

Genge had to fly home from South Africa after being injured in training and is expected to miss the first half of the new season due to undergoing surgery

Ellis Genge will miss the first half of the 2018/19 season after having knee surgery (Getty)

England prop Ellis Genge is expected to be out of action until early 2019 after undergoing knee surgery, the 23-year-old's club Leicester Tigers have said.

Genge sustained the injury in training during England's tour of South Africa in June.

"He will miss the first phase of the season and we're probably looking at him playing again in the new year at this stage," Leicester head coach Matt O'Connor told the Premiership club's website.

Genge was hampered by injuries last season, having also required surgery on his shoulder in late 2017 that ruled him out of a large chunk of the campaign.

England coach Eddie Jones' training methods have come in for scrutiny after several players sustained injuries.

Genge is not expected to return until the new year (Getty)

Bath prop Beno Obano was ruled out for a year after suffering ligament and hamstring tendon damage in training while Ben Te'o sustained a quad injury and also pulled out of the South Africa series.

Several other players, including lock Joe Launchbury, struggled with injuries throughout the tour.

Reuters