Martin Gleeson welcomes return of ‘hungry’ Owen Farrell to England fold

Owen Farrell has returned to England camp with his hunger sharpened by finally emerging from an injury-hit spell, according to attack coach Martin Gleeson.

Farrell was struck down by an ankle problem in the autumn and was then forced to miss the entire Six Nations because of a similar issue to his other leg, but he has since made a successful comeback for Saracens.

The 30-year-old is hoping to regain his place in England’s midfield and the captaincy for the July tour to Australia and his presence has already been felt at a three-day training camp in Richmond.

“Owen is key for us, a really important figure within the squad. He’s been great. He drives a lot of the behaviours, the attitude, the desire in the team,” Gleeson said.

“The guy is hungry. He has had a big lay off, got injured in the Aussie game, missed the Six Nations.

“He just wants to play rugby, he’s a rugby player, he loves it out there and every day he loves it. He’s a student of the game and is speaking about stuff all the time.

“The thing with Owen is that he’s a good all-round footballer, he can play at the line, he can organise, he can kick well. He has a full range of attributes.

“It’s good to have him back in camp, really good to have his presence back again. I think it’s going to be a massive positive for the group.”

England look set to retain Marcus Smith at fly-half for the first Test against the Wallabies in Perth on July 2 with Farrell targeting inside centre for his first international match since a 32-15 victory over Australia in November.

The two playmakers worked in tandem for 68 minutes against the Wallabies and it is a combination that Gleeson believes can pay dividends as he consults the duo over how best to shape the attack.

“In the autumn