Saints boss Boyd gives full injury update ahead of season opener at Saracens

There is mixed news for the black, green and gold, who remain without the likes of Dylan Hartley, Harry Mallinder, Alex Mitchell and Reece Marshall.

Boyd says Hartley, Mallinder and Mitchell are still nursing knee problems, while Marshall suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of last season.

But there is better news on the likes of Tom Wood, Jamie Gibson, Mike Haywood and Ollie Sleightholme.

"The best way I can put the whole injury thing is that there are those guys who are close to returning, and we've got them in a bunch," Boyd said.

"And then there are those guys who are two, three, four (weeks) and beyond away.

"Dylan, along with Harry, along with Alex Mitchell, along with Reece Marshall - they're still all considered long-term injured and are considered some way along the track away.

"They won't even come into consideration until the medical people say they are starting to be ready to be looked at so we've still got a few on the long-term injury list.

"Harry is just chugging away.

"He's had some little setbacks and it hasn't all been plain sailing for Harry.

"He's doing his return-to-play protocol on his knee and I don't think he's as far away as some of the others but we're not putting him under any pressure to return.

"On the short-term list, Tom Wood will come back from a little ding from a couple of weeks ago.

"Jamie Gibson will be back next week and the good news for Mikey Haywood is that he should be back for selection next week.

"Heinrich Brüssow was back last week and so was George Furbank so we've got two or three bits of good news.

"Ollie Sleightholme got a little groin strain, got cleaned out when he was in a jackal, but he'll be available for this week.

"We've still got a few guys in the long-term ward but it's getting better all the time."