Wigan Warriors: Iain Thornley set for a spell on the sidelines as Matty Peet confirms the extent of the centre's knee injury

The centre was forced to come off in the early stages of the game against Castleford Tigers at the weekend, with scans confirming the full extent of the problem.

Thornley has struggled with injuries since his return to Wigan during the off-season, with this being his latest spell on the sidelines.

"He’s done damage to his MCL,” confirmed head coach Matty Peet.

"He will probably miss six weeks, which is disappointing for Iain, he can’t seem to get a run at the moment. He will continue to work hard in the background.

"We’ve got a few options available to us. Sam (Halsall) did well at the weekend. There’s some backrowers who can play there and we have wingers who are in good form.

"We just know whoever we pick in that position will have a big job on defensively against Salford, so it’s important that we are solid.

"Challenging the players to be adaptable proved beneficial last week when there was quite a bit of rotation. We’ve spoken all season about the best teams being the most adaptable."

Peet did confirm John Bateman would be back in contention for Friday’s game against Salford Red Devils after missing the victory over Castleford.

"He is available,” he added.

"Everything went really well for him and his partner Amy at the weekend welcoming their baby boy. It’s been great to have him back in work this week, and he’s full of energy as usual.”