St Helens injury boost as key pair set for welcome return to action

St Helens have been dealt some much needed good news on the injury front as they prepare to welcome back two key men.

Paul Wellens has seen Mark Percival, Jack Welsby and Lewis Murphy drop out of contention over the last fortnight with the latter duo being forced off the field last time out against Hull KR. Welsby and Percival have both had surgery but all three are looking at lengthy spells on the sidelines.

That makes the return of Kyle Feldt all the more timely then, with the winger overcoming the hand ligament injury that has kept him out since March. If he’s fit enough, he’s expected to come straight back into the starting line-up when St Helens take on Salford Red Devils on Sunday.

He could be joined by Joe Batchelor, who has returned to full training after struggling with a hamstring problem.

“It’s a huge boost,” the Saints head coach said on Feldt. “We knew his qualities when we brought him to the club.

“He’s got a wealth of experience and he’s a wonderful player. His experience is something that’s really shown up since he came to the club. He had a great start to the year for us and he had a setback. It’s great for us to welcome him back into the team.”

On Batchelor, he added: “Joe is back in full training and training with the squad again today, he’s looking really good and looking like he should come back into the team all being well at the weekend.”

Paul Wellens gives full St Helens injury rundown

Giving a full rundown of the injuries the Saints have been forced to contend with over the last two weeks, Wellens said: “Jack Welsby’s long-term, he had surgery on a patella tendon which is likely to be around 16 weeks.

“Lewis Murphy has a quad tear around the tendon so it’s around eight weeks for him. Mark Percival has undergone surgery on his ankle, he had a bone spur there that needed removing and has caused him a huge amount of discomfort in recent weeks. It got the point where we needed to do something about it.

“The backline options have dwindled but we do still have quality options, Matt Whitley has shifted to the centre and done a good job and we’re likely to have Harry Robertson there as an option and Kyle Feldt returning. There are bodies coming back.”