Josh Hodge: Exeter Chiefs full-back out for up to five months with elbow injury

Josh Hodge has impressed in the 110 minutes of rugby he had managed this season before being injured

Exeter full-back Josh Hodge could be out for up to five months after finding out he needs surgery on the dislocated elbow he suffered at Harlequins.

The 23-year-old was forced off 30 minutes into the 22-14 Premiership defeat at the Twickenham Stoop.

Hodge, who has replaced retired Scotland star Stuart Hogg as full-back, got a hat-trick in Exeter's opening 65-10 win over Saracens.

Exeter hope he will have his operation by the end of the week.

"He's going to be out for a chunk [of time], what we're expecting for him now is to be back for that post-Six Nations period when there isn't a lot of rugby," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"He's started fantastically well, playing with great confidence.

"He's given us a real cutting edge from the back, and on top of that I think he's been great under the high ball, been making good decisions, and it's tough for us but it's tougher for him.

"As clubs we talk about it's tough when we don't have players but the reality is this is a young guy, he's pretty much tied down a jersey, this is that season where he's going to go, he's going to improve, he's going to get lots of rugby," Baxter added.

"All those ambitions he's got that he wants to achieve, they can all be there laid out in front of him, and two games in he picks up a pretty significant injury.

"That said, he is a young man and injuries are going to be part and parcel of his career going forward if he's going to play a lot of rugby."