Shaun Wane has confirmed Dom Manfredi will miss the start of the season
Two knee injuries have ruined the last 18 months of the winger’s career, with a return to action still a couple of months away.
He hasn’t played a senior game for the Warriors since August 2016, when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in a Super 8s match with Castleford.
An unsuccessful comeback attempt in Wigan’s reserves followed last August, with the luckless winger suffering another serious knee injury which is set to further push his return back.
However, with a return now in sight, Wane is desperate to see the speedster return to action after an outstanding start to his senior career.
“It will be March or April time with Dom,” Wane told TotalRL.
“It’s been nearly two years he hasn’t played now and we miss him. We love Dom to bits, he’s a really popular player and he needs to be playing.”
Despite Wane’s eagerness to see Manfredi return to action, he admitted his rehabilitation will include a mental aspect, alongside the physical healing process.
“We’re not going to rush him,” he said.
“We need to make sure his head his good. There is an element of that, as much as we don’t like speaking about it.
“Mentally he needs to fix a few things. But there’s nobody stronger mentally than Dom. He’s been a tough lad since being a kid so I don’t think it will be a problem.
“Once he gets a few games under his belt and picks up that confidence he’ll be pushing Liam Marshall, Tom Davies and Joe Burgess, which will give us great competition on the wings.”
