Portugal Colonial - Itoje to rehab with England as Farrell omitted from training squad

Meanwhile there was no place for Owen Farrell in the 36-man squad announced by England coach Steve Borthwick on Sunday, with the former captain eligible again for selection after returning to Saracens following a brief stint with Paris club Racing 92.

Itoje will be present for the three-day camp in Surrey that runs until Tuesday but will not spend any time on the field.

The 30-year-old Lions skipper failed a head injury assessment after 27 minutes of the third Test against the Wallabies in Sydney on August 2 and has been stood down from training ahead of home Tests against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.

England's Lions stars will miss the opening two rounds of the domestic Premiership as part of the mandatory post-tour rest period and Saracens have given Itoje an additional week off into the bargain.

Farrell's prospects of reviving his England career, following a late call-up to the Lions tour, appear to have receded after the fly-half, who can also play at inside centre, was left out by former Red Rose captain Borthwick on Sunday.

Borthwick instead selected George Ford, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith as his fly-halves, with Ollie Lawrence, Seb Atkinson and Fraser Dingwall his options at inside centre.

A.S.Diogo--PC