England's Ben Foden will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, his club Northampton said Tuesday, which puts his World Cup hopes in jeopardy.

The fullback, who has won 34 caps, but has not featured for England since the 2013 autumn internationals, ruptured his left anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday's European Champions Cup win over Ospreys.

Foden missed last year's Six Nations with a knee problem. He faces a race against time to get fit for the World Cup, which begins in September.