WANTAWAY Warriors centre Ryan Mills is being backed to shrug off any distractions and "put the club and team first" by best man Niall Annett.

Mills is back in the starting XV for tomorrow's trip to Leicester in the Premiership (3pm) after playing no part in any of the past three league matches.

READ MORE | TEAM NEWS - Mills to start for Warriors at Leicester

Director of rugby Alan Solomons this week confirmed speculation that Mills is looking to leave Sixways before the end of his contract, which expires at the end of 2020-21, but Annett has no concerns about the focus of one of his closest allies on and off the field.

READ MORE | Mills will be allowed to leave mid-contract by "mutual agreement"

“Millsy is one of the most talented I have played with,” said Annett.

“His driving force of a personality has been one of the reasons behind us making the steps that we have and I would never doubt his ability to put the club and team first because that’s one of his best traits.

“I don’t know the ins and outs but I do know Millsy very well, I was best man at his wedding so we are pretty close.

“Speaking as a friend he would be a big loss but we have to acknowledge we don’t always know all the information and I am probably not privy to everything that has been said between him and Solly.

“He is an amazing rugby player and I hold him in just as high regard as a bloke. As a club I am sure we will be desperate to hold on to him but any decisions will be considerably above my paycheck.

“I would be very sorry (to see him go) on a personal level, Millsy is someone I spend a lot of time with and our wives are very close as well.

“Rugby doesn’t last forever, though, and he will be a friend for life. The nature of our business means sometimes people move on.

"We are enjoying our time playing together and what will be will be, he is the sort of person I will stay in contact with when rugby finishes.

"That’s the attitude you have to attack it with because you’d end up very sad with around 10 people leaving every year."

READ MORE | Coach to leave Warriors after six years - and he will link back up with Dean Ryan

As for his own fortunes, Annett is pleased to be back sooner than expected following a shoulder injury and feels ready to show his best after 28 minutes on his return at Bristol last weekend.

“It feels great,” he added.

“The first couple of weeks were pretty sore and tender but with the help of the strength and conditioning staff and the medical department I have come on really well.

“The shoulder feels strong and hopefully it will continue that way.”

On the trip to Leicester, Annett said: “It is an amazing place to go to play rugby, it is one of the places that has stuck with me ever since I came over to England. It is a real hotbed.

“Leicester is a formidable opponent, results have not gone their way this season but there will be a reaction from them and we need to be prepared to meet fire with fire.

“Off the back of last weekend it would be nice to have a bit more ball, that would make the job a bit easier.

“In club rugby this is the highest level you can play at and the margins are very fine. We just need to make sure we are doing the little things to get on the right end of results and at the moment we are maybe a bit shy of that.

“A lot of work has gone in this week, there has been a fair it of recovery because we made a lot of tackles (at Bristol) but we have been doing everything we can to make sure we are on the right end of the result.”