Hull FC say scans have showed the foot injury sustained by new signing Gareth Ellis is not as bad as first feared, although he is facing a spell on the sidelines.

The England back rower, who was appointed as the Black and Whites’ captain after joining them on a three-year contract from Wests Tigers, injured his foot during the warm-up for last night’s Super League opener at Leeds.

The injury rekindled memories of the fractured foot that kept the 31-year-old former Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Leeds Rhinos favourite out for three months last season but Hull say it is not a re-occurrence of the same injury.

“Ellis will visit a specialist early next week before an accurate assessment of the extent of his injury can be confirmed and how long he’ll be out of action,” said a Hull spokesman.