Former England centre Manu Tuilagi will have to wait before he can debut for new club Bayonne in the Top 14 after he suffered a broken hand in pre-season.

Tuilagi brought his international career to an end after 60 appearances earlier this year when he decided to leave Sale and sign for French outfit Bayonne.

The 33-year-old, who suffered a string of injury issues during his 13 years in the England set-up, featured for Bayonne in Saturday’s 42-5 pre-season victory over Biarritz Olympique, but injured his left hand and is set for a spell on the sidelines.

A recovery time of six-to-eight weeks has been predicted by Bayonne, which would rule the ex-Leicester centre out of their Top 14 opener with Perpignan on September 7 and potentially delay his competitive debut until October.

“Following the preparation match against Biarritz Olympique, some players are returning to the infirmary (hospital),” a Bayonne statement read.

“Manu Tuilagi, with a broken hand, will be out for between six and eight weeks.

“We obviously wish a good and speedy recovery to all of our players who are currently unavailable.”

Tuilagi left Sale after their Gallagher Premiership play-off loss to Bath in June.