Salford Red Devils have been “forced” into putting out a weaker squad for their round one fixture against St Helens this Saturday due to the ongoing sustainablity restrictions in place over the sides squad.

Earlier this week the club announced that they had been taken over by a consortium lead by businessman Dario Berta, that has paid of their existing debts. After the Red Devils have been limted to a salary cap of £1.2 million, after the financial issues they suffered with during pre-season.

In a statement released on social media and their website club stated that “Following the change of ownership, all documents have been submitted to the RFL for final approval, which is still ongoing”

“Although the club is disappointed to still be under the restriction, there is an understanding that the process requires appropriate time to be completed and we are complying with each request as it is provided.”

Salford now have to travel to Saint Helens with a side mainly made up of reserve players. Making the first outing of the season for the side a very tricky one for both the club and its fanbase. Mainly due to the fact that the Saints are fielding a near enough full strength side, with Head Coach Paul Wellens making nine changes from the team that faced West Hull in the Challenge Cup. This fixture takes place on Saturday at 5:30pm on the BBC and Sky Sports.

The Red Devils hope that all the necessary steps for the completion of this progress are done before their first home fixture against the Leeds Rhinos on the 22nd of February.