WIGAN WARRIORS outside back Abbas Miski will be out for a couple of months after undergoing surgery on his troubling knee.
The Lebanon international has been playing through the pain barrier in recent months after suffering a knee problem in Wigan’s historic win over Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas.
Now Warriors boss Matt Peet has confirmed that Miski has gone under the knife, though Patrick Mago will return for this weekend’s clash against Leigh Leopards.
“Paddy is back in the squad, we’ve got another session to get through,” Peet said.
“Ethan has got through another full week of training but he won’t be in the 21-man squad.
“Abbas Miski has had an operation so he is out for a couple of months. We always had that planned coming out of Easter.
“He has been playing through incredible pain, he has been struggling to get around between games. He has had to get that procedure done.”
So who will replace Miski on the wing?
“Whether it’s Jacob Douglas or Zach Eckersley, we have a bit of depth there. Nathan Lowe is back healthy too.”
Of course, Wigan and Leigh played out that classic 1-0 fixture back in Round One, but Peet expects more points to be scored this time around.
“I think it will be close and competitive, you wouldn’t expect it to be quite so low scoring as both teams pride themselves on defence,” Peet said.
“You’d think both teams will have more fluency in attack. I think we’re finding more consistency.
“We have got some work done on the training field.”
In terms of the rivalry with the Leopards, Peet has hailed the rejuvenation of the club under owner Derek Beaumont and head coach Adrian Lam.
“I think it’s a big rivalry, my family had a lot of links with Leigh town and rugby league. We are in the same borough.
“There is a lot of respect between the two clubs anyway but the recent leadership of Leigh Leopards in terms of Derek Beaumont and Adrian Lam and what they’ve achieved, it’s changed the narrative.
“It’s a battle with two top end Super League clubs and that is credit to them.”