England and Saracens lock Maro Itoje to return in the new year with metal plates in his face

Painful exit: Maro Itoje receives medical attention after breaking his jaw but hopes to back in action much sooner than expected
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Chris Jones19 December 2017

Maro Itoje has given England and struggling Saracens a boost by confirming he will be back in action at the start of the new year, despite having two metal plates inserted into his broken jaw less than a fortnight ago.

It was initially feared that the 23-year-old Lions lock would miss the start of England’s Six Nations campaign, against Italy on February 4, after picking up the injury, while Saracens will be desperate to see him back in action as they aim to bring a seven-match losing streak to an end.

Itoje will not be available for the Christmas Eve clash against Leicester at Welford Road but is aiming to be back in time for Sarries’ remaining European Champions Cup pool games against Ospreys and Northampton in the middle of January — matches the reigning champions must win to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Itoje — who is already back in training and will play with the plates still in place — has told the BBC how initially he had to blend all his food as his jaw had ballooned following surgery.

“My jaw ballooned and I turned into a black Buzz Lightyear! My chin was huge. I couldn’t leave my house for a couple of days and was on blended food for a week or so, which was terrible. But, thank God, I am over that stage now, and eating a lot more normally now.

“It was probably my most painful injury so far. I had a week of downtime after the operation to let the jaw settle a bit and started training last week. I am starting to feel sharp again and ready to go.

“All in all it’s looking good and I’ll be back on the pitch soon. When I first broke it they told me potentially up to three months out — now I am well within my timeframe of four to six weeks.

“I am not quite there yet and still have a couple of weeks to go.”

Itoje has been forced to watch as his team-mates continue to misfire and now they head to Leicester desperate to end a losing run that threatens their bid for a third successive Champions Cup and another Premiership title.

Sarries, who are currently third, face Worcester on December 30 and Wasps on January 7 before heading into the Euro matches.

Itoje said: “This is probably the biggest test we have had for quite a while but I am very confident we will be okay.”

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