Fresh setback for Manfredi

Shaun Wane said today he has “slightly tweaked” the joint and will continue to be assessed.

The winger failed to finish his first game since suffering a serious knee injury 12 months.

Playing for the reserves on Saturday, he “felt something” in the joint and left the action.

The 23-year-old had it scanned yesterday.

And while Wane’s diagnosis suggests he has not suffered a major setback, it is still a blow for the player given how long he has been out.

Only last week, Manfredi spoke to the Observer about the “dark times” he was in when he was restricted to the couch in the weeks after surgery.

Having made it into the Super League Dream Team last year, he was hoping his appearance for the reserves may open a door to a first-team return for the run in.

But this setback would appear to rule the winger - a member of last year’s Super League Dream Team - out of the Wembley frame.

Wigan face Salford this Friday before turning their attention to the Challenge Cup Final.

And given there is only one more reserve match scheduled, against Hull FC next month, Manfredi’s hopes of playing in the senior side this year would appear slim even if he recovers from this latest blow.

Tom Davies and Joe Burgess have both been playing well, and Wane also has prolific youngster Liam Marshall as back-up.

St Helens reserves won Saturday’s match at Langtree Park by 40-30.

Wigan’s side featured first-team players such as Jack Wells, Liam Forsyth, Liam Marshall, Nick Gregson and Joe Bretherton, and Wane was far from impressed with their performance.

“The team we had out shouldn’t have lost,” he said. “There were some good individual performances but overall, we didn’t do enough.”

He picked out prop Ollie Partington, a former Orrell St James junior, and towering forward Sammy Kibula for praise.