Sheffield Eagles: Aston ready to offer Maloudi second chance

The former Catalans under-19 operator, who has most recently played at French club Limoux, has enjoyed a month in South Yorkshire training full-time with the Eagles.

Director of rugby Mark Aston has had a close look at the youngster during the past four weeks and admitted that he sees plenty of potential.

“Hakim is a player I really like, he has got some ability,” Aston told The Star.

“He is someone that we would be keen to see develop. It is certainly a situation that we will be keeping tabs on.

“I have that in mind for pre-season because I believe that this lad has a massive amount of ability. I have seen him, so I know there is potential there.”

While it was possible for Aston to register Miloudi for the end of the current campaign, the Eagles chief admitted it would have been too early.

The Eagles have been involved in a scrap to secure their Kingstone Press Championship status, with Aston conscious that the environment wasn’t right for a novice in terms of the English game.

The Eagles have shown improved form in recent weeks, and, if they secure their second tier status, Aston wouldn’t rule out a return for Miloudi in a bid to secure a deal for next year.

“Was he in the right shape to play at this level currently? That answer is definitely not,” Aston added. “I think that he has got something, but it would have been difficult with the circumstances we were in to give him a chance this year.

“I have spoken to him and said that there is potential for us to invite him back to pre-season for us to have another look in that sort of environment.

“He has been out of the game a little bit. They have had a couple of months off, so for him to walk straight in was going to be hard, but he is certainly talented.”

The Eagles play Whitehaven on Saturday at The Recreation Ground.