John Bateman gets Wigan Warriors' No.13 shirt

He will be given the squad number which for years has been worn by Sean O’Loughlin, who has retired.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Bateman – returning to the club after two years at Canberra – is poised to play at loose forward in 2021.

The 27-year-old has made a name for himself in the second-row, even winning Dally M backrower of the year in his debut NRL campaign.

“It’s not for me to decide where he plays, and I don’t know,” said executive director, Kris Radlinski. “We’ve got a few options and Ollie Patington is one, he has done amazing there for us, but that’s for the coaching staff.”

Other new recruit, Jai Field, has been handed the No.6 shirt, while Bevan French will wear the No.1 jersey after a stellar 2020 season at full back.

Zak Hardaker has been given the No.3 shirt - Chris Hankinson had it last term - and other notable changes see Dom Manfredi (2) Liam Marshall (5), Brad Singleton (8) and Joe Bullock (10) take 'starting' numbers, while Oliver Partington (14) and Morgan Smithies (15) have moved up the pecking order.

Interestingly, there is no place in the squad for French forward Romain Navarette, suggesting his future lies elsewhere. The prop spent last season on loan at Wakefield and is thought to be under contract with Wigan for 2021. Josh Woods, who has been on loan at Leigh since the start of 2019, is another player not included.

The squad list nods towards Wigan's first-choice starting line-up with one exception - Jackson Hastings retains No.31, which he wore when he moved to Super League With Salford.

Since 2008, the No.18 shirt has been awarded to the Wigan Warriors fans as a way to recognise their valued andloyal support and that is no different for 2021.

Wigan Warriors 2021 squad numbers:

1 Bevan French, 2 Dom Manfredi, 3 Zak Hardaker, 4 Oliver Gildart, 5 Liam Marshall, 6 Jai Field, 7 Thomas Leuluai, 8 Brad Singleton, 9 Sam Powell, 10 Joe Bullock, 11 Willie Isa, 12 Liam Farrell, 13 John Bateman, 14 Oliver Partington, 15 Morgan Smithies, 16 George Burgess, 17 Tony Clubb, 18 Reserved for Warriors fans, 19 Liam Byrne, 20 Harry Smith, 21 Ethan Havard, 22 Jake Bibby, 23 Mitch Clark, 24 Chris Hankinson, 25 Joe Shorrocks, 26 Jake Shorrocks, 27 Kai Pearce-Paul, 28 Sam Halsall, 29 James McDonnell, 30 Umyla Hanley, 31 Jackson Hastings, 32 Ben Kilner, 33 Amir Bourouh