JAMES FORD insists York City Knights will not panic buy any props following the devastating injury suffered by Micky Learmonth - but he has not ruled out bringing in new recruits.

The hard-hitting 20-year-old has needed an operation to reattach a tendon onto a bone in his chest after suffering a severe pectoral injury during the club's initial testing session prior to pre-season.

The former England academy ace - who only re-signed for the Knights a fortnight ago after first arriving from Huddersfield in April and playing ten times for the club - will now be sidelined for six months, meaning he will probably miss the bulk of the 2016 regular season, returning during the new-look Super 8s section of the campaign.

It leaves Ford down to five front-line prop forwards in Jack Aldous, Mark Applegarth, Brad Nicholson and new signings Brett Waller and Russ Spiers.

But, asked if he was now in the market for another front-rower, the head coach said: "I'm happy with what we've got at the moment.

"We've got Ryan Mallinder, who can play in the middle, and Mike Emmett is a hooker or loose-forward so he's an option in the middle as well.

"Josh Tonks can go in there too, so we've got some versatility.

"At the minute I don't see need to dip into the market but we will keep our eyes open to see who's available and at what price."

New boy Emmett, meanwhile, was one of the players to impress during the testing session, which took place at Wakefield College's sports facility.

The players' strength, power, body composition and muscle-to-fat ratio were all checked under the watchful eye of strength and conditioning coach Mark Helme, and while "one or two" players returned from the off-season break "slightly below" minimum standards - the levels required to be in the running to play - Ford was pretty happy with the results overall.

"There were some really good results," he declared.

"The lads have reported back and most of them have have hit at least minimum standards. One or two have missed out very slightly but in a couple of weeks I expect them to have hit the targets they need to be available to play.

"Some of them recorded very good performances. Kriss Brining, Ed Smith, James Morland, Jonny Presley, Mike Emmett and Brad Hey, for example, all performed very well across all the tests. I was really impressed with those guys.

"I'm aware there's a full pre-season to work with the boys and help them improve and get in great condition."

The Knights, whose pre-season proper begins next Tuesday, will continue with the same backroom staff that finished the 2015 campaign, with Applegarth, Neil Hinchsliff and Will Leatt assisting Ford, alongside Helme.

They are, however, seeking a new physio and anyone interested can phone the club on 01904 767404.