Leigh new boy David Armstrong has shrugged off comparisons with Bevan French as he prepares for the daunting prospect of making his Betfred Super League debut at the home of defending champions Wigan on Thursday night.

Armstrong will be thrown in face-to-face with French, the 2023 Man of Steel and last year’s Grand Final man of the match, as the two near-neighbours kick off the new domestic campaign at the Brick Community Stadium.

The 23-year-old – foisted with high praise from Leopards owner Derek Beaumont after confirming his move last June – is part of a new-look Leigh line-up that is seeking to go one better than last year’s run to the play-off semi-finals, where they came up short against Matt Peet’s men.

“I don’t want to come over here and try to be like Bevan or anything like Bevan,” Armstrong told the PA news agency.

“I want to be myself and play how I play, and if I can achieve half the things that Bevan has achieved over here, I’ll be doing OK. He’s won titles and Man of Steel and done it all, so if I can have the same impact as him I’ll be happy.”

Armstrong is set to replace the retired Matt Moylan at full-back, while Leopards boss Adrian Lam has also moved to replace the rump of his historic 2023 Challenge Cup-winning squad, with the likes of John Asiata, Tom Amone and Kai O’Donnell also departing.

Nevertheless the eye-catching nature of his replacements, including a further trio of ex-NRL names in Isaac Liu, Alec Tuitavake and Tesi Niu, has sparked hopes of sustaining the club’s remarkable recent trajectory – starting with what would be a famous win over their rivals.

“I came over here because this is a big opportunity for me to get game time, but I didn’t know a whole lot about it and I’ve got a lot to learn,” added Armstrong.

“Seeing Wigan and St Helens win the World Club Challenge was a real eye-opener in terms of realising how strong a competition the Super League is, and things like the different tactics and the weather are going to make it tough.

“But since everyone arrived back just before Christmas, there’s been a real buzz in the squad. I think the squad is a lot younger now than it was before, and there’s a real feeling we can go on and do something special again.”