John Cartwright has addressed Hull FC's pursuit of Salford Red Devils half-back Marc Sneyd, and while a move hasn't been completely ruled out, the reality is that it's an ominous task to try and lure the 33-year-old back to East Yorkshire with other offers on his doorstep.

As first reported by Hull Live earlier this month, the Black and Whites have made a huge offer to their former half, launching a serious ploy to land him after the departure of Jordan Abdull. However, the general consensus is that other Super League clubs are also interested in Sneyd, with Leigh Leopards credited with a move and at least one other club keeping tabs.

That has made it tough for Hull to try and sign the player, who won two Challenge Cups with the Airlie Birds back in 2016 and 2017. And with Salford's player sale attracting other interest, with another vote on cap and quota dispensations to take place next week, the reality is Hull, who are also interested in Deon Cross for one, have a battle on their hands to secure their targets.

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Speaking exclusively to Hull Live, Cartwright, who spent the 1997 season with the club as a player following a stellar career at Penrith Panthers, said: "It must be hard for them (Salford), and I really feel for their supporters and their players. It must be a really tough position.

"We'll never say never, but we're seeing what happens. The situation changes every day. It's probably an obvious one; it's a good fit for both parties, but the fact is that he moved back over there before, and he's from over there. Geographically, if he's got interest from other clubs over there, then I would find it hard for him to come back, but as I said, the Salford situation just seems to change day to day."

Meanwhile, Hull's new boss, who joined the club on a three-year deal ahead of pre-season, is backing his current halves to do the job, reaffirming that newly appointed club captain Aidan Sezer will start the season alongside Cade Cust.

"I'm pretty happy with our halves situation," Cartwright continued. "Cade and Aidan will start there, and underneath that we've got two very good young halves in Jack Charles and Callum Kemp, who probably aren't ready just yet, but hopefully they can stay healthy and get an opportunity at some point throughout the year.

"We've also got Jordan Rapana, who can play at six if he had to. We've got Logan Moy as well, and Zak Hardaker could also play six, but I don't really want to get in the way too much of those young halves coming through. It would be lovely to have great and experienced players in every position, but the reality of the salary cap is that you just can't do that."

Cartwright, who praised Cust's attitude and application this pre-season when speaking to Hull Live earlier this month, also believes the player, who he previously coached at Manly Sea Eagles, is a good fit for Sezer, with the duo complementing each other well.

"It suits our side," he said. "We've got runners at six and one, and then we've got an organising half-back, so it does suit the way we want to play our football to have a running number six who is also a strong defender.

"Cade has also played a lot of hooker, so there's no weakness there on the edge defensively. He likes to take the line on a lot, which is what I like from our halves. They are working really well together, so fingers crossed they stay healthy."

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