BOSS Alan Solomons says he has “no problem” throwing young lock Andrew Kitchener into the front line as Worcester Warriors fight for survival in the Gallagher Premiership.

Struggling Warriors could be without Michael Fatialofa (back), Anton Bresler (calf) and Pierce Phillips (head) for Saturday’s league clash with Sale Sharks (3pm).

Solomons faces an anxious wait to find out whether the second-row trio will be passed fit to take to the field at Sixways.

But should they be unavailable due to injury Solomons is confident Kitchener will step up to the challenge alongside Darren Barry in Warriors’ engine room.

The 22-year-old, who has recently overcome injuries to his ankle and knee, came off the bench in Worcester’s 28-16 loss at Wasps last Saturday.

“We do have Kitch so it is not as if we don’t have any other locks,” Solomons said.

“I thought all the replacements that came on (against Wasps) played well across the board and Kitch was one of those.

“He is a good player.”

Kitchener, who is part of Warriors’ academy, has made 29 senior appearances since making his debut in October 2016.

“If you think back to last season Kitch started games with Spenny (Will Spencer) so there are no problems with him at all,” Solomons said.

“He has come off the back of a bit of an injury but he has played well in the Premiership and certainly played well on the weekend.

“Kitch brings a lot of energy. His physicality is good and his defensive work was really good on Saturday.

“He is a good lineout forward and is very mobile.”

Academy graduate Justin Clegg (back) is also on the injury list but England under 20s international James Scott is another second-row option for Solomons.

Asked whether the 19-year-old could feature in the final four league games, Solomons replied: “Probably not at this point depending on injuries as James is still a young lad.

“He is still playing under 20s rugby but I think he is a really good prospect.”

With Warriors low on recognised locks, blindside flanker Morgan Monks was handed the number four shirt for Worcester Cavaliers on Monday night.

Cavaliers were overpowered by Wasps A in a 26-8 defeat at Sixways that all but ended their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the Premiership Shield.

“We had a number of injuries going into the game at Wasps (on Saturday),” Solomons added.

“We then lost some players in that game which impacted on the Cavaliers side who were up against quite an experienced team on Monday night.

“(Prop) Farai (Mudariki) then went off early on for a HIA (head injury assessment) so it was a battle scrum-wise, lineout-wise and mauling.

“It was very difficult for them which was a real pity because they had done really well.”