Ben Foden galloped into England's elite squad yesterday and seems more than likely to be part of the match 22 for the opening round of the RBS Six Nations Championship, against Italy at Twickenham on February 7. Danny Care will retain the scrum-half spot but Foden has every prospect of being his understudy.

The Northampton player, 23, who is the only uncapped member of Martin Johnson's revised 32-man squad, can also cover at full back. The other scrum halves are Care and Harry Ellis, but the latter is serving a six-week suspension for a dangerous tackle on Dan Carter during Leicester's Heineken Cup game with Perpignan last month and will have played no rugby since.

Ellis will spend the week beginning January 25 training with the elite squad near Faro in Portugal but his lack of match sharpness may persuade Johnson, the England team manager, to look at Foden against Italy. “We will try and get Harry on the field at some point,” Johnson said yesterday, but Leicester are one of the few clubs with no fixture rescheduled for January 31.

In Foden, England have a player bursting with confidence. “It's a real honour to have earned selection,” Foden said.

“We have known about Ben for a while,” Johnson said. “Last summer he was going to a new club and we didn't think it was the right time for him to be in the squad. We think it is now.” Foden will move from full back to scrum half for his club this evening in the European Challenge Cup pool game away to Montpellier.

He is one of five changes to the squad, in which Mike Tindall, Mark Cueto and Olly Morgan are named among the backs and Nick Easter in the forwards. Peter Richards, Olly Barkley, James Simpson-Daniel, Dan Hipkiss and Jordan Crane drop to the England Saxons squad, which includes two newcomers: Jordan Turner-Hall, the Harlequins centre, and Stephen Myler, the Northampton fly half.

Johnson confirmed that Steve Borthwick will retain the captaincy against Italy and added that he is braced for further change; injury replacements are required for Tom Palmer and Tom Rees, the Wasps forwards, and more injuries may occur during the next two weekends of European rugby.

There is no place in either squad for Jonny Wilkinson, who leaves for the United States this weekend for three weeks' intensive rehabilitation to his damaged kneecap. Wilkinson could be fit again by March but it may help him and his young successors, Danny Cipriani and Toby Flood, if he recovers outside the England environment.

England squads

Elite player: Backs: D Armitage (London Irish), O Morgan (Gloucester), M Cueto (Sale Sharks), U Monye (Harlequins), P Sackey (London Wasps), M Tait (Sale Sharks), R Flutey (London Wasps), S Geraghty (London Irish), J Noon (Newcastle Falcons), M Tindall (Gloucester), D Cipriani (London Wasps), T Flood (Leicester), D Care (Harlequins), H Ellis (Leicester), B Foden (Northampton).

Forwards: T Payne (London Wasps), A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), M Stevens (Bath), P Vickery (London Wasps), G Chuter (Leicester), D Hartley (Northampton), L Mears (Bath), S Borthwick (Saracens), N Kennedy (London Irish), T Palmer (London Wasps), S Shaw (London Wasps), T Croft (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins), J Haskell (London Wasps), L Moody (Leicester), L Narraway (Gloucester), T Rees (London Wasps).

Saxons: Backs: N Abendanon (Bath), M Brown (Harlequins), M Banahan (Bath), T Ojo (London Irish), J Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), D Strettle (Harlequins), O Barkley (Gloucester), D Hipkiss (Leicester), J Turner-Hall (Harlequins), D Waldouck (London Wasps), R Lamb (Gloucester), S Myler (Northampton), P Hodgson (London Irish), P Richards (London Irish), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks).

Forwards: M Mullan (Worcester Warriors), J White (Leicester), D Wilson (Newcastle Falcons), N Wood (Gloucester), D Paice (London Irish), J Ward (London Wasps), R Webber (London Wasps), R Blaze (Leicester), L Deacon (Leicester), B Kay (Leicester), G Skivington (London Wasps), S Armitage (London Irish), J Crane (Leicester), T Guest (Harlequins), M Lipman (Bath), C Robshaw (Harlequins), J Worsley (London Wasps).