Bevan French to return to Wigan Warriors next week
Bevan French is set to make his first appearance of the season
Wigan Warriors coach Matt Peet has confirmed that star full-back Bevan French will return to training next week.
The 26-year-old suffered a season-ending hamstring injury last year and returned home to Australia in June to start his rehabilitation whilst looking after his mum, who was battling a long illness.
French was then granted extended leave by the Warriors earlier this year following his mother’s passing.
“I’ve spoken to him a couple of times, and he’s back next week,” Peet said. “We are pleased and excited.
“We’re looking forward to putting our arm round him because he’s still coming out of a terrible period of his life.
“We will do the physical work with him but a lot of it will be supporting him through his grieving, looking after him emotionally as well as physically.”
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Although French is returning to training next week, Peet revealed he won’t be expected to play straight away.
“It’s important that we give him a proper pre-season, and don’t rush him back,” Peet added.
“Even though it will be tempting to do that, we will stick to the plan to get his body and mind right so when he does play, he will hit the ground running and have a strong stable season.”
French has been a fan favourite at Wigan since he arrived at the club. He joined the Super League side midway through the 2019 season from NRL outfit Parramatta Eels.
The speedster has scored 26 tries in 34 appearances for the Warriors. He helped the club clinch the League Leaders’ Shield in 2020 and played in the Grand Final the same season.
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