Leigh sign Naughton from Hull FC on a year-long loan

Naughton, who will be 22 later this month, joins the Club with immediate effect and will have squad number 30.

Leigh Centurions Head Coach Neil Jukes said: "We have had some bad news concerning an injury to James Clare in the Dewsbury game.

"Unfortunately James has his scan result back which shows he has an ACL injury. As the scan is worse than we expected this will rule him out for most if not all of the season.

"This is in addition to losing Gregg McNally for between 10 to 12 weeks after his injury in the Wigan game.

"It was vitally important that acted upon the situation and certainly given that we were already a bit light in the outside backs area. We were in danger of losing that edge of competition for places in that area which is vital in all departments."

The loan signing followed fruitful discussions with Hull FC Head Coach Lee Radford and football manager Motu Tony.

Neil Jukes continued: "Bringing in Curtis gives him an opportunity to catapult his career at the top level. He has exploded on the scene in the last two seasons and now is a good time for Curtis to challenge for a regular Super League spot.

"We kind of touched on Curtis when we discussed pre season recruitment and James's unfortunate injury has made us revisit his situation.

"Curtis has genuine pace and is lively and energetic, in fact the same kind of qualities that James Clare has in abundance. We shall continue to support James through this difficult time.

"But it was important that we kept those qualities within the squad and Curtis's signing ensures that."

Leigh Centurions Owner Derek Beaumont said: "It is really disappointing for us to get off to such a bad start with injuries, but that is sport it is something you cannot plan for.

"It is important that you don't fester on something you cannot change or control and move quickly to remedy the situation as quickly as you can.

"That is part of my job and ultimately, whilst I don't have a bottomless pit and we have the cap to contend with, I have to ensure we have the right numbers and quality at all times to give us the best chance.

"This signing does that and I would again like to thank Hull FC for their assistance in achieving this.

"They have some real strength in depth and this will enable them to keep a quality player, improving and experiencing a different environment whilst performing at Super League level.

"Lee Radford has a good relationship with Jukesy as I do with Motu and it's at times like these that those can be priceless.

"I am sure Curtis will enjoy his time with us and prove to be good cover for Gregg and James whom we wish a speedy recovery to our squad."

Dewsbury born Naughton came through the ranks at his local community club Shaw Cross before joining Bradford Bulls. After a successful progression through their academy ranks he made his Super League debut against Castleford in the final game of the 2013 season.

He then moved to Australia with his mother and spent the 2014 season playing for Sydney Roosters U20s side before returning to England to sign for Hull FC.

In 2015 he scored nine tries in 13 games including hat-tricks against Castleford in the Challenge Cup and St Helens in the Super 8s. He also played seven games on dual registration with Doncaster in the Championship.

Last season he scored eight tries in 16 games for Hull FC and signed a contract extension until the end of 2018.