Zak Hardaker rumours of Castleford Tigers return shot down

The 29-year-old is under contract for next season with the Warriors.

But that hasn't stopped simmering rumours of a possible return to his former club Castleford, with one reporter even suggesting he met incoming coach Lee Radford last week.

However, Warriors coach Adrian Lam has firmly quashed the message board and social media speculation.

He said: "Zak is contracted here and we're happy about that - as far as I'm concerned, there's no news to tell on that.

"Zak's coming back and making an impact, we've missed him and what he can offer to us for the rest of the year, I'm sure this (speculation) will go away quickly so he can focus on doing his role for who we are.

"I've heard rumours it's on social media but there are rumours every week.

"He's contracted here, he's enjoying it here, he's a big part of us going forward - it's all positive."

Former Leeds, Penrith and Castleford player Hardaker joined Wigan ahead of the 2019 campaign after serving a year out of the game serving a doping suspension.

He returned from a neck injury in Friday's 16-6 win against Salford, playing in his preferred full-back position during a strong second-half display which earned him maximum Man of Steel points.