Karl Dickson comes into the selection mix after his brother Lee was ruled out with a broken hand © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Karl Dickson | Lee Dickson | Toby Flood

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: England

Harlequins scrum-half Karl Dickson has been called into the England squad ahead of Saturday's Six Nations clash with Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Dickson comes in as injury cover from the England Saxons Elite Player Squad for younger brother Lee, who fractured a metacarpal in his left hand during Saturday's Calcutta Cup win over Scotland. The Northampton No.9 saw a specialist today following consultation between the England and Saints' medical teams and is expected to be sidelined for four weeks.

Leicester fly-half Toby Flood also returns to the squad having made his comeback from a knee injury in the Tigers' Anglo-Welsh Cup victory over Newcastle on Saturday with the playmaker replacing Saracens' Alex Goode. However, Northampton's Courtney Lawes (knee) and Tom Wood (foot) along with Leicester's Manu Tuilagi (calf) remain sidelined. Tuilagi is expected to resume training with Leicester this week and is on course to be available for England's first home game of the Six Nations, against Wales on February 25.

England are growing short of available scrum-halves, with Richard Wigglesworth injured and Danny Care suspended following his arrest for drink-driving. Karl Dickson, Care's understudy at Harlequins, has started only five games for his club this season and made only one appearance since the middle of November. The 29-year-old joins joins Ben Youngs, who started at Murrayfield, and Wasps' Joe Simpson as England's scrum-half options for the Italy game.

Players attending England camp:

Forwards (18)

Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby), Mouritz Botha (Saracens), Calum Clark (Northampton Saints), Alex Corbisiero (London Irish), Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers), Phil Dowson (Northampton Saints), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Lee Mears (Bath Rugby), Ben Morgan (Scarlets), Tom Palmer (Stade Francais), Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers), Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Matt Stevens (Saracens), Rob Webber (London Wasps), David Wilson (Bath Rugby), Thomas Waldrom (Leicester Tigers)

BACKS (14)

Chris Ashton (Northampton Saints), Matt Banahan (Bath Rugby), Brad Barritt (Saracens), Mike Brown (Harlequins), Karl Dickson (Harlequins), Owen Farrell (Saracens), Ben Foden (Northampton Saints), Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers), Charlie Hodgson (Saracens), Joe Simpson (London Wasps), Charlie Sharples (Gloucester Rugby), David Strettle (Saracens), Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)