Henry Slade has been ruled out of England’s remaining summer tour matches through injury.
The Exeter Chiefs centre completed 80 minutes in last week’s 35-12 win over Argentina.
But he will be forced to miss the rematch in San Juan, as England have now confirmed has been ruled out for the remainder of the tour with a hand injury.
The severity of the injury and how it was sustained remain unclear.
Slade is also set to miss a meeting with the United States national team in Washington, D.C., later this month.
It is a major blow for England, who are already without 13 key players due to the ongoing British and Irish Lions tour.
Slade was the third-most capped member of the heavily rotated tour squad, with only Jamie George (102) and co-captain George Ford (100) bettering his tally of 73.
The No13 mantle will likely fall to one of Max Ojomoh, 24, or Oscar Beard, 23, in subsequent tests. Both men are uncapped, and will likely make their debuts alongside Seb Atkinson on Saturday.
The injury brings a sour note to what was otherwise a very positive start to England’s summer tour.
The much-rotated side produced a composed performance in La Plata as they downed Los Pumas in their opening test, with their hosts appearing out of sorts despite beating Andy Farrell’s Lions the week prior.
It was a strong display of depth for the Roses, which will be encouraging for Steve Borthwick as he looks to fill Slade’s boots.
