Earl, 27, believes a move into the centres would not require major changes to his game.

“When you perform well as a 12 or a 13 and when you perform well as a back row, the performance looks very, very similar,” he said.

“I think the one occasion that you might be doing something different is literally scrummaging.

“I don’t want to be like this sort of trailblazing guy who’s done a bit of everything, but I’m just trying to stay true to what I am as a player.”

Earl made 73 metres with ball in hand – more than all but two of his team-mates – in Saturday’s 25-7 win over Australia. The Saracens star ran in the opening try from just inside the Wallabies half to help himself towards that statistic.

He is not the only forward Borthwick has flagged as having the potential to play in the backs.

Pollock, who has scored three tries in a little over an hour of Test rugby for England, has been earmarked as a possible wing option.

“I think he’s quicker than me,” said Earl of Pollock.

“We haven’t had a race, and we probably should at some point, but he’s certainly up there with the quickest in the squad, never mind with the forwards.”