GEORGE WILLIAMS may have played his last game for Warrington Wolves.
That’s because Williams will be out for at least four months following a neck injury that will be operated on next week.
The England captain was injured against Catalans Dragons last month and has undergone extensive tests to determine the issue.
But, 31-year-old Williams is in a race against time to be fit before the end of the Super League season, with the best-case scenario being a mid-September return.
Of course, Williams will be expected to captain England at the World Cup in Australia with their first match against Tonga in Perth on October 17.
But Warrington boss Sam Burgess has laid out the plan.
“George is due to go for surgery next week,” Burgess told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“That gives us a start with the recovery, and it’s not as simple as when boys get their shoulders or ankles done, there are more complexities around the neck.
“So I guess it’s a minimum 12 weeks and a minimum four weeks after that. That would be the time frame in the best case and we’re not going to know until eight, 10 weeks down the line.
“What I can say is that George is as healthy as can be going into it, he looks almost healthy enough to play.
“It’s not like he’s in pain or anything, but it’s something that needs doing.
“I guess the setting of the surgery day gives us all a bit of, not closure, but something to work from and we go from there.”