Murray KO blow

LUCKLESS Manu Tuilagi will miss England’s autumn internationals after being ruled out for another 12 weeks with a knee injury. The cursed Leicester centre, left, only one match into his latest comeback, suffered the injury during Leicester’s loss to Bath on Sunday. He completed the match but a scan revealed damaged ligaments. It is a setback for player, club and country, with England coach Eddie Jones having cleared the way for his inclusion in the squad for the autumn internationals after conciliatory talks between the two following Tuilagi’s expulsion for a late-night drinking episode during a training camp in August.

“He has to get fit, get focused, stay out of the pubs and he should be all right,” said Jones on Monday.

The only good news for Tuilagi is that it is his left knee rather than the one he damaged in January and ruled him out for the remainder of last season. As the man who destroyed the All Blacks in 2012, a fit Tuilagi is a force of nature. But he has played just 17 minutes for England since Jones took charge in 2015.

Leicester have also been hit by a knee injury to forward Mike Fitzgerald. ANDY MURRAY is likely to be out until the new year in a bid to avoid surgery on his hip injury.

The former world No1 announced yesterday he will miss the next two tournaments he was scheduled to play.

He will also almost certainly be forced to sit out the final events of the 2017 calendar but return in January.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to compete in the upcoming events in Beijing and Shanghai and, most likely, the final two events to finish the season in Vienna and Paris due to my hip injury,” said Murray.

“Having consulted a number of leading hip specialists over the last week, along with my own team, we have decided this is the best decision for my long-term future.

“I’m confident after this extended period of rest and rehabilitation I will be able to reach my