Oliver Wilson opens up on injury nightmare following Wigan arrival as ambitious target set

Off-season signing Oliver Wilson remains confident he can make an impact at Wigan Warriors in 2026 and is targeting a swifter return from his Achilles injury than expected.

One-time England international Wilson signed for Wigan from fellow Super League outfit Huddersfield Giants in November.

The Warriors had to pay an undisclosed fee to the Giants for his services, and secured his signature on a four-year deal which runs until the end of the 2029 season.

Midway through December, disaster struck as the front-rower ruptured his Achilles in training and was subsequently ruled out for the entirety of the 2026 campaign.

But already out of his moon boot, he is determined to better that prognosis, and help his new club to achieve their silverware ambitions this term.

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Oliver Wilson opens up on injury nightmare following Wigan arrival

Wilson has 120 career appearances on his CV, with 114 having come in Huddersfield’s colours between 2019 and 2025.

Speaking about his injury during Wigan‘s pre-season media day, the forward explained: “It was just unlucky.

“I felt I was finding my feet in pre-season, and a couple of weeks before Christmas, I just did a step off my foot that I would have done a thousand times in my career, but it ruptured my Achilles.

“I did it on the Monday and I was operated on Friday after seeing a specialist on the Wednesday to actually diagnose it.

“I’m hoping it’s not a season write off, I’m quite positive and I feel really good with it that I’ll be able to get back in at the back end of the season.

“It’s not necessarily (the season over for me). They give you nine-to-12 months, so nine months would be September.

“But there are people coming back from (Achilles injuries) a lot quicker now than in previous years, and certain athletes come back in six months, so we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

The 25-year-old is now a car share buddy with young team-mate George Hirst, making the journey to Robin Park Arena each morning.

While Hirst and the rest of the Warriors squad are out on the field, Wilson is working hard in other areas to develop himself ready for when he can don the cherry and white for the first time.

He explained: “There’s a lot of upper body works, seated conditioning and a lot of rehabilitation.

“I’m never really alone, there’s always loads of staff and I’m pretty much getting one-to-one training at the moment.

“Everyone’s been really good in giving me loads of things to do, which is making things easier.

“I’m just trying to be positive about it. This will give me time to rest other injuries I might have, rest the body, get me feeling stronger and fitter to come back and hopefully have an impact.”