Adam Milner on brink of immediate Castleford Tigers exit as Andy Last confirms Niall Evalds blow

Giants boss Ian Watson recently confirmed his interest in signing the utility player, who is approaching the end of his contract at Wheldon Road.

The expectation was that Milner – a one-club man since making his Tigers debut in 2010 – would make the switch across West Yorkshire at the end of the season but Last expects an imminent departure.

"He's potentially on the move with immediate effect," said Last, who left the 31-year-old out of his squad to face Huddersfield on Friday night.

"That hasn't been finalised with regards to the paperwork, so that's why he's not playing for us at the weekend.

"Three weeks ago, he played his 300th game for Castleford Tigers. He's been a great servant to the club and a player who has represented the club with great respect and distinction, and played with great desire.

"He's made the decision that he felt was in his best interests. There's an opportunity at Huddersfield not only for this year but next year and we weren't in a position to guarantee him anything for next year.

"We didn't want to stand in his way and wish him all the best."

Last welcomes back the likes of Jacob Miller, Gareth Widdop and Liam Watts for the trip to the John Smith's Stadium but has been dealt a major blow after learning that Niall Evalds could miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury sustained in the recent defeat to Catalans Dragons.

With Greg Eden still a couple of weeks away from a return from a hamstring issue, Widdop could line up at full-back against the Giants.

"Niall will unfortunately require surgery on that pectoral tear so he's going to miss the majority of the season, potentially the season," said Last.

"It's not good news for Niall and it's a huge blow for us. At the beginning of the year, you think if you can get Niall Evalds at full-back and add that experience of Miller and Widdop alongside him with (Joe) Westerman at 13 and (Paul) McShane, you've got a really competitive spine.

"I think they've been on the field together once or twice. The teams that tend to be at the top of the table have that continuity in those key positions but unfortunately for us, we're doing it a little bit tough."

The Tigers have endured a miserable start to the season, winning just two of their 13 games in both competitions.

Ahead of the date with fellow strugglers Huddersfield, Last stressed that it was never going to be a quick fix after taking the reins from Lee Radford in March.

The England assistant coach remains convinced that he is the man to oversee the rebuild and turn the club around.

"We're hurting," he said. "Nobody is hurting more than the playing group and the coaching staff.

"I expected a little bit of short-term pain. At the moment, I'm having to cop some criticism and wear some bruises. I totally understand that comes with being the head coach of a club which is struggling.

"But as a leader, you have to be strong enough to cop that criticism and attack it head-on to try flip the negative into a positive.

"We're in rough waters at the moment but I know what a good team looks like. I've got 23 years of experience and have worked with some unbelievable coaches and players.

"I know we'll be able to get through this moment. The tough times make the good times even better."