England scrum-half Alex Mitchell has signed a contract extension with Premiership leaders Northampton.

Mitchell has 11 international caps and was England's first-choice number nine at last year's World Cup in France.

On Northampton, the 26-year-old said: "We're an ambitious group, we want to win things together, and we're pushing hard for that this season and beyond.

"This has been a huge year already for me personally and I'm excited about what else is to come, with both Saints and England, over the next few seasons."

Mitchell becomes the fifth player confirmed to have agreed a new Northampton deal since the turn of the year, following Tom James, George Furbank, Alex Coles and Fraser Dingwall.

The duration of his latest contract has not been announced.

"Getting the ball up and playing fast is a crucial part of our DNA here at Saints, and Mitch is a huge driver of that," said director of rugby Phil Dowson.

"He's still young, and there's not another scrum-half in the Premiership who attacks the fringes like he does. You can always hear opposition teams calling him out in defence as he is such a fulcrum for us going forward."

Dowson added: "He's one of the most talented scrum-halves in the world, and a big part of where we want this club to go. So, we're delighted that he's so invested in what we're doing and has signed on to remain part of this group moving forwards."

Northampton are away to second-placed Exeter Chiefs on Saturday.