STEVE Price says nothing will be left to chance by Warrington Wolves in Stefan Ratchford’s recovery from long-term injury.

The full-back – one of The Wire’s most consistent performers this season – had surgery to repair a ruptured pectoral tendon on Wednesday and could be out of action for up to four months.

While he says it is plausible Ratchford could return ahead of schedule, Price insists the due process will be followed in line with the England international’s best interests.

> More on Stefan Ratchford's injury

In the short-term, Jake Mamo is expected to deputise at full-back for tomorrow’s Magic Weekend clash with Wigan Warriors at Anfield having recovered from an ankle injury while Dec Patton will assume goal-kicking responsibilities.

“We’ve got the best high-performance staff that will do what’s best for Stef and what’s best for the team,” the Wire head coach said.

“I really feel for Stef because he’s put so much work into his campaign to date.

“With a pec injury, players normally return in between 12 and 16 weeks but every player is different.

“Sometimes players can recover quicker but once that time comes, we’ll map out a plan and do our best for Stef.

“In saying that, Jake Mamo’s ready to go.

“He was in really good form before his injury and he’s desperate to get back out there in our colours again.”

In better injury news, Tom Lineham comes back onto the left wing after missing the past three games with a knee injury.

> Price makes four changes to Wire squad for Magic Weekend

He and his Wire teammates will be aiming to bounce back from Saturday’s 19-12 defeat to Hull FC and earn their first Magic Weekend victory since beating St Helens at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in 2014.

It has been reported that a record low attendance of around 50,000 across the two-day event is expected as Liverpool plays host for the first time.

However, Price believes there is still plenty of life in the concept.

“Magic Weekend was fabulous last year – I really loved it,” he said.

“I’d like to think all 12 Super League clubs can put on a good show.

“It’s a good sign that the NRL saw it fit to take Magic over there.

“That was good, but we need to keep growing it and making it bigger and bigger over here.

“We’re still sitting okay despite the Hull game – there’s still a lot of good things the boys are doing.

“It’s all about continual improvement and evolving for us.

“Saints have been the most consistent team to date. We can’t control what they do but we can control our performances.

“We’ll keep working extremely hard for each other.”