SARACENS have placed their faith in Harrow School’s Maro Itoje at an early age, but the second row will more than pay them back in the years to come, according to World Cup winner Lewis Moody.

This time last year, 20-year-old Itoje had just made his Aviva Premiership Rugby bow in a thrilling 31-27 defeat to Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.

Fast forward 12 months and not only has Itoje captained England U20s at the Junior World Cup, but he also a 13 further Aviva Premiership appearances under his belt.

That’s without mentioning the two other trophies he has lifted this season in the A League and LV= Cup after Saracens elected to make him their captain in both.

Such performances have seen him shortlisted for the Land Rover Discovery of the Season award while the club made sure to reward the forward with a new long-term deal in April.

“For such a young man, Maro is impressive to watch,” he said. “He seems to have really thrived this year. There are obviously still things he would like to work on in his game, but he’s really composed for his age and seems to deal well with pressure.

The Land Rover Discovery of The Season award is designed to recognise the most impressive young players in the Aviva Premiership Rugby each season.

The winner will follow in the footsteps of some special talents as previous winners have included Owen Farrell, Manu Tuilagi and Joe Launchbury, with Billy Vunipola claiming the prize last year.

Itoje faces stiff competition, with the list of nominees including Harlequins’ Jack Clifford, Wasps’ Elliot Daly as well as Exeter Chiefs duo Jack Nowell and Henry Slade.

Land Rover ambassador Lewis Moody was commenting on the Land Rover Discovery of The Season award. The winner of this year’s award will be announced following the Premiership Rugby Awards on May 20. Follow @LandRoverRugby #WeDealInReal