France centre Wesley Fofana ruled out of Six Nations

France centre Wesley Fofana has been ruled out of the upcoming Six Nations after sustaining a neck injury, his club Clermont Auvergne announced on Friday.

The Top 14 side confirmed Fofana, who has won 44 caps for France, had been diagnosed with a cervical disc herniation after complaining of "symptoms that alarmed the Clermont medical staff".

Fofana will undergo surgery in January and is expected to miss the next three months, ruling him out of the Six Nations which gets underway on February 3.

The 29-year-old will also a miss a crucial stage in Clermont's season, including games against Northampton and Ospreys in the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Fofana's absence comes as a major blow to France's new head coach Jacques Brune, who replaced former boss Guy Noves on Wednesday.

France begin their Six Nations campaign when they host Ireland on February 3.