Bevan French has returned home to Australia after being ruled out of the rest of the season with a hamstring injury but will return to Wigan next year after activating an option to extend his contract.
French missed the first month of the 2021 season after being given permission to delay his return to the UK due to the Covid-19 situation and tore his hamstring against Salford a month ago.
The 25-year-old, who made a big impression in his first full season in Super League in 2020, has had surgery and will undergo his rehabilitation back home.
"It's a tear but there's some tendon involved with that," Wigan head coach Adrian Lam said at his weekly press conference. "He's had the operation.
"It's not good for us but he's going to spend some much-needed time with his family, who need him most at this time.
"Bevan's agreed to return for the 2022 season which is great news for all our supporters."
French has scored 26 tries in 34 games since joining Wigan midway through the 2019 season and the Australian is eager to repay the club's faith in him when he returns next year.
"I'm obviously upset about my injury and the duration of it, but the silver lining is that it has allowed me to re-visit home during a very difficult time for me and my family," he said.
"I have specific goals I would like to achieve whilst at Wigan and I have yet to do those things, which plays a role in my decision to take up my option.
"The club staff and squad members have also been very understanding of my situation at home, which makes me want to repay the club and its fans the following season."
Lam also revealed second-choice full-back Zak Hardaker is facing a spell on the sidelines after experiencing pins and needles in his neck, while second row John Bateman is having scans to determine the extent of an ankle injury he sustained playing for England last Friday.
Hardaker took over the full-back role when French was injured and, after serving a two-match ban, was expected to return against Warrington Wolves on Wednesday - a match which is live on Sky Sports - until discovering a bulging disc in his neck.
"In the last couple of weeks, he seems to have formed an issue with his vertebrae at the bottom of his neck and it's giving him pins and needles, which is a concern for us," Lam said.
"We've had some scans and at the moment it seems like he's going to be at least another two to three weeks out.
"It's not good for us but we have to err on the side of caution because it's an area that's very dangerous."