Wasps have been hit by a devastating injury blow after scrum-half Ben Vellacott was been ruled out for up to seven months.

The new signing from Gloucester was instrumental in day one of the Premiership 7s earlier this month, but after featuring in the quarter-final victory the following day played no further part due to a 'knee knock'.

It has today been confirmed the 24-year-old suffered a tear to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and is scheduled to have surgery this week.

Signed to replace Joe Simpson who headed in the opposite direction to Kingsholm, Vellacott is estimated to return in six to seven months.

Fellow scrum-half Will Porter is also out for up to eight weeks after a hamstring tear picked up in the Premiership 7s final defeat to Saracens.

Jimmy Gopperth, whose first Wasps start since May 2018 ended after just five minutes at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday in the 50-28 loss to Saracens, will miss the start of the Gallagher Premiership season.

The 36-year-old's shoulder injury is expected to keep him out for six weeks.

Show Player

There's more gloomy news for Wasps in the form of 2018/19 players' player of the season Will Rowlands sustaining a calf muscle tear that will sideline the lock for six to eight weeks.

Prop Simon McIntyre, who director of rugby Dai Young previously revealed had played no part in pre-season due to a knee injury, has undergone surgery to his groin and is expected back in approximately six weeks.

The long-serving loosehead played just 220 minutes of rugby last season due to foot and concussion issues.

Fellow front row Kieran Brookes failed a head injury assessment against Saracens and is currently going through the return-to-play protocol.

There is better news in the form of the Kiwi duo of Lima Sopoaga and Malakai Fekitoa, who have both been hampered by calf injuries, returning to full training and 'should be in contention' for the Premiership Cup trip to Sale Sharks match on October 5.

Wasps tackle Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens this Saturday.

Wasps' senior squad (45 players) Loosehead (4): Ben Harris, Simon McIntyre, Tom West , Zurabi Zhvania Hooker (4): Tom Cruse, Tommy Taylor, Gabriel Oghre, Alfie Barbeary Tighthead (4): Kieran Brookes, Biyi Alo, Jack Owlett, Jeff Toomaga-Allen Locks (7): James Gaskell, Will Rowlands, Joe Launchbury, Myles Edwards, Theo Vukasinovic, Tim Cardall, Thibaud Flament Back row (6): Ben Morris, Brad Shields, Jack Willis, Thomas Young, Sione Vailanu, Tom Willis Scrum half (4): Dan Robson, Ben Vellacott, Will Porter, Sam Wolstenholme Fly half (3): Lima Sopoaga, Jacob Umaga Winger (5): Josh Bassett, Marcus Watson, Paolo Odogwu, Callum Sirker, Zach Kibirige Centre (5): Juan de Jongh, Jimmy Gopperth, Michael Le Bourgeois, Malakai Fekitoa, Sam Spink, Ryan Mills Fullback (2): Rob Miller, Matteo Minozzi,

Show more

Are you following us on social media? Twitter users, if you want to stay on top of all the breaking Wasps news and chat, make sure you have followed our @waspsrugbylive account as well as our Wasps correspondent @bobby_bridge

Facebook users, you can like our Wasps - Coventry Live page and Bobby Bridge's Rugby Journalist page