By Jeremy Guscott Former Bath, England and Lions centre

Inside centre has been a problem for England since Will Greenwood retired, and Riki Flutey is the first player since the former Leicester and Harlequins man to have had a real impact in that position.

But with Flutey injured, what are coach Martin Johnson's options?

Geraghty joined Northampton from London Irish during the summer

It's all about balance for me, and every side wants a centre partnership that can complement each other. That was best seen recently during the Lions tour of South Africa, with big man Jamie Roberts and creative foil Brian O'Driscoll combining to devastating effect.

My centre pairing for England to start against Australia in November would be Jordan Turner-Hall of Quins at 12 if he is fit and Shane Geraghty of Northampton at 13.

I like the look of Geraghty. He's in good form and has good all-round skills. He can give you an extra option of kicking for position, be a replacement goal kicker, and his speed will worry defenders. He's used to playing under pressure at 10, and standing at 12 or 13 would give him more time to execute moves and make the right decisions.

Geraghty has the vision and ability to spot opportunities as they unfold in front of him. He's the type of player that won't always follow the set move, and that makes him dangerous.

His pace and vision allow him to run through gaps himself or distribute the ball to other players in space, although those other players have to be able to react when he makes spur of the moment decisions.

Geraghty will need a foil, as O'Driscoll had in Roberts, and Turner-Hall could be that player, although Johnson might choose the experience and leadership qualities of Mike Tindall instead.

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Turner-Hall is a big unit - 6ft tall and nearly 16st - and running at full speed he is difficult to stop and will certainly interest defenders, with or without the ball.

I believe the more options a backline has the more inventive they can be, and I'd consider having Bath's Matt Banahan on the wing. Coming into attack, playing off Jonny Wilkinson, Geraghty or Turner-Hall, this would pose a huge threat to defences.

Having such options at your disposal is crucial, as is knowing when to use the big guys to make dents in the defence and when to use them as decoys. Look at the impact Ma'a Nonu has for New Zealand: he's quick, powerful and aggressive and there's no reason why Turner-Hall couldn't do something similar. But he has to get fitter to be able to do the things he does well more often.

Jon Clarke could be another option to play alongside Saints team-mate Geraghty, or even outside Turner-Hall.

Despite the last couple of years being uneven form-wise, mainly because of injuries, this season he is definitely showing signs of regaining top form. He has a habit of scoring tries, and at centre that's a big bonus.

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