Brad Singleton will have to wait for Wigan Warriors debut

Adrian Lam has welcomed the ex-Leeds prop to the squad this week.

But he has told the 27-year-old he will have to earn a place in his side, warning there are “no guarantees” he’ll get a chance this season.”

Singleton, who has joined from Toronto, said: “To come to a big club like Wigan, you don’t expect a shirt.

“It has to be like that, there shouldn’t be anything you should get without hard work.

“It would be harder for me to come into a club and he said, ‘Here’s your shirt, mate’.”

Singleton, who linked-up with his new team-mates at Robin Park yesterday, has a few “boxes to tick” after returning from a knee injury but expects to be fit and available within two weeks.

“I’m running on it and fully able, it’s more for the physios,” he said.

“What I try to bring to every team is effort, enthusiasm, and hopefully I can bring some leadership skills and set an example for a couple of young lads already playing out of their skin.”

The Cumbrian says he had interest from two other clubs before opting for Wigan.

He had agreed a three-year deal starting next season but after moving over to the area, the club swooped to bring him in for the rest of the season.

Lam admits he consulted players before recruiting him for the rest of this year, given they had spent periods on furlough and agreed wage cuts.

“You’ve always got to do that, in difficult times as well – with incomes lowered – and they were very supportive,” said the coach.

“Brad will get a couple of weeks to get up to speed and we’ll see where we go, but he may not play this year. There are no guarantees and he's aware of that.”

Singleton, meanwhile, hopes Toronto Wolfpack are welcomed back into Super League for 2021 following their troubles this year.

Owner David Argyle withdrew, forcing the club to pull out of the competition from the restart – and leaving members of the squad unpaid since May.

“What comes out of this is Argyle was the person at fault and with him out the picture, they deserve a crack,” he said.

“If rugby league isn’t expanding, then what is it doing?”

He admits his family helped him financially over the last few months – Wolfpack players weren’t eligible for furlough payments – but refused to let the dark times drag him down.

“I had no club, no income, my leg in a brace – you can sit there and moan about how bad your life is, but that doesn’t help anyone,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jake Bibby is set to replace Dom Manfredi on the wing against Wakefield on Friday, confirmed Lam.

Manfredi suffered a head knock in Saturday's 36-4 quarter-final win against Hull FC.

Lam reported no fresh injuries and welcomes props Ben Flower and Liam Byrne back into the mix to select his squad from.