White joined the Sharks in 2003 from Glasgow

Sale head coach Kingsley Jones believes the responsibility of captaining the Sharks was hampering back row Jason White's rehabilitation.

White missed large chunks of the last two seasons with injuries and Scotland commitments and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe has taken over as captain.

Jones told BBC Radio Manchester: "Jason was a good captain for us but he's had a tough time after two operations.

"He's been putting pressure on himself to come back earlier than he needed."

He added: "The last thing we want is him breaking down again. I think that Jason's had a big three years with the World Cup and captaining Scotland.

"But I think he needs to concentrate on getting himself right, getting himself where he needs to be, which is one of the best flankers in the world."