Exeter's Vintcent out for up to three months

Ross Vintcent, pictured in action for Italy against South Africa, has won 19 caps for the Azzurri

Exeter's Italy forward Ross Vintcent could be out for three months after being told he will need surgery for a dislocated shoulder.

The 23-year-old number eight was injured while playing for the Azzurri in their 32-14 loss to South Africa earlier this month.

It is thought he will be out until March as he recuperates from his operation, which is expected to be carried out imminently.

"He's had his scan, he's going to need an operation so we'll crack on with that now and then he'll start the rehab process," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"It's normally a 10 to 12 week return to play if everything goes well, so hopefully we'll get him back soon."

Vintcent scored three tries in Exeter's opening three matches of the season before a short spell out with a knock.

Baxter said that while it is a blow, he is confident he will come back strongly.

"He's had a really, really strong start to the season for us," he said.

"He was playing very, very well, had a bit of a bang playing for us, and so we left him out for a week while we had the opportunity because other guys were going well.

"Then he's gone into Italy camp and again gone very, very well from the start and was going hammer and tongs in a big game against South Africa and has ended up with a pretty significant injury.

"So it is a little bit of a shame for him, but they do happen, he's a very conscientious, professional guy and I'm pretty certain he'll recover from this pretty quickly and be ready to fly again.

"He'll still be available to us in a very important part of the season, hopefully that'll be that breath of freshness. And energy you get from returning players is what drives you forward at different stages of the season.

"We're going to try and take the positives out of it and hopefully that's what we'll see at the end of the season."