Andy Farrell is set for his first start of the season, a week after son Owen set a new record as the youngest ever top-flight player to take to an English field.

Saracens get their European Challenge Cup campaign underway at Vicarage Road tomorrow and the centre has recovered from his dislocated thumb and looks set to play some part in the game against French side Mont de Marsan. Chris Jack is also fit to return to the team after missing the last two matches with a shoulder injury.

But Richard Haughton has been ruled out for 12 weeks with a broken metatarsal. The 27-year-old full-back suffered the injury when he was stood on during last week’s win at Bristol.

The blow is lessened slightly after a superb display from Noah Cato during the 26-17 defeat to the Scarlets in the EDF Energy Cup on Sunday.

The 20-year-old wing was one of a number of youngsters selected for the game, after Eddie Jones decided to hand his first-team players a well earned rest, and his performance could earn another appearance at the weekend.

Sarries’ director of rugby said: “The other guys are exhausted and there is just no way they could have played. We just would have put them at risk of injury. They will come back for the Challenge Cup and there will be some nice challenges for guys like Cato who have put pressure on the guys in the side.

“He’s a good kid [Cato]. He’s someone we would like to see come on this season. There has been a lot of criticism of the competition but from a development point of view it’s absolutely outstanding. We would like to think that by the end of the season he is playing in the Premiership consistently.

“We’re very disappointed, it’s a game we should have won and won well. But there is a foundation going forward and it’s very important for us to be a successful club. There were six or seven guys under the age of 20 that played out there. A lot of them have good futures if they work hard.

“Alex Goode has a lot of work to do but he’s a good kid. There is a nice blend of young kids coming through and that’s how we are going to build this club and be successful.

“We might not have had our best guys in there but the seriousness of our preparation was like a top side and those guys are going to benefit from it down the line.”

But the biggest headlines were left for Owen Farrell after the son of the rugby league legend made history. The centre became the youngest player, at 17 years and 11 days, to appear in a top-fight English game.

Jones said of Farrell: “He is one of the group of young kids coming through. He’s very mature, like his father, and serious about the game. He’s desperate to make it. He has a long way to go but he’s got the right attitude and ability. He understands the game well and has good footballing nous.

“Since he came out of his mother’s stomach he has been spoken to about rugby or rugby league so it does work - consistent education.”