SAINTS coach Keiron Cunningham has explained that star scrum half Luke Walsh will not be rushed back until his ankle is good and ready.

The influential Australian half back was initially expected to be back in the fold for the start of the season after breaking his leg and damaging his ankle in the game against Widnes last July.

But that return has been delayed, with Cunningham explaining that the ankle rather than the leg is the issue.

Cunningham said: “I want him back as much as anyone.

“It is all to do with the ankle that we had to get surgery on again, but it is nothing to do with the fracture site which is pleasing and positive for us.

“It is a very long season and for me to try and rush him back to appease me or anyone else would be foolish to do.”

Cunningham is confident that Walsh is close to a return and looks forward to him partnering Travis Burns in the halves.

But he is not doing anything that may jeopardise his input for the whole season.

“Luke has had quite a severe injury, and he has never had a major injury before, and overcoming them is quite difficult,” he said.

“But he is on the right side of that now and is not that far off. We just don’t want to make that decision foolishly.

“He will come back at the right time – when he is ready, if that is this week, next week or the week after we will see when he is ready but I can’t put a timeframe on it.

“He is going to have some large involvement and do some really good things for us from when he comes back until the end of the season so we have to get him back at the right time.”