Bevan French is staying at Wigan Warriors

He has agreed a one-year contract for 2021, with a further option for the following season.

French has recently been linked with a return to Australia, with his former club Parramatta among those interested.

But the full-back - a firm crowd-pleaser who has scored 22 tries in 26 appearances for Wigan - had no hesitations in agreeing to stay.

French said: “I’m very happy to be here. Ever since I arrived, people in the club, team-mates and all the Wigan community have been really welcoming and I wanted to be able to spend the next year or two years here.

“It’s such a relief. It feels like a weight lifted off my shoulders now and I can really focus on the back end of the year.

“Making my decision has been easier thinking about the pros at Wigan. We’ve got great coaching staff here and a great bunch of players. It’s an honour to play with some of the players in this team.

“Being over here by myself you would say has been tough, but you learn a lot about yourself and tend to grow as a person and hopefully I can continue to do that.

“My family in Australia try to watch every game and the main thing they tend to enjoy watching is seeing me with a smile on my face – that’s a big message from my mum, who thinks I look happy here. I’ve still got a lot more to achieve and I want them to see me win some silverware this year and hopefully some more next year.”

Warriors have signed John Bateman and French's former Eels team-mate Jai Field for 2021, while prop Brad Singleton recently joined from Toronto.

"At a time when the country needs good news, this should make everyone smile, not just Wigan fans," said the club's executive director, Kris Radlinski.

“It is really sad that Bevan is producing moments of magic in front of empty stadiums. Bevan is box office and people like him need to be seen live to be appreciated. He is everything that the English Super League should be about. Young, exciting, articulate and the good news is that he is going to get better and better.

“We need to thank our owner Ian Lenagan for making this bold statement in challenging times. This is for the fans of Wigan to thank you for your continued love and support.”

Read unlimited Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors stories for less than 70p a week by subscribing to our sports package here