John Bateman is set to miss four Super League games for the Bulls as he prepares to lead the England Academy side on their tour to Australia.

The 18-year-old forward, whose rise to prominence this season led to Warrington making a six-figure bid for his services, will captain England against France at Odsal on Friday night.

He also looks certain to be part of the Academy squad again when they head Down Under to face their Australian counterparts in July and August.

The 24-man England Academy squad fly out to Australia on July 19 and play two warm-up matches in Sydney before Tests in Canberra and Brisbane.

They return to the UK on August 14, meaning Bateman will miss trips to Leeds and Warrington and home matches against Widnes and Hull KR.

Although Mick Potter’s squad have been decimated by injury, it is understood that Bateman will be allowed to continue his development on the international stage.

Liam McAvoy, Bateman’s Bulls team-mate, is also in contention to make the Academy squad for the trip to Australia.

Bradford Under-20s coach Stu Barrow also serves as England’s Academy assistant coach and is well placed to assess Bateman’s progress ahead of Friday’s clash with the French.

Barrow said: “John has been holding his own in Super League this season but it’s always good to go back to your own age group to see where you are in your personal development.

“It’s a great honour for John to lead the team out as captain in Bradford on Friday night.

“John has always had natural upper body strength and he’s developed that power and is using it his advantage in the upper echelons of the game.

“I’m really, really pleased with the way he’s developing and it gives myself and Paul Medley immense pride to see another homegrown Bradford player pushing his way into the first-team and doing well.

“It will be a very physical test for our lads on Friday night and this same group of French players beat England at Under-16 level.”

The Bulls have nurtured a number of players to progress through the ranks in recent seasons, particularly in the forwards.

The emergence of the likes of Bateman, Elliott Whitehead, Tom Burgess, Tom Olbison, Danny Addy and Adam O’Brien has encouraged hopes that the foundations are in place for a homegrown pack to stay together for years to come.

Barrow added: “If the fans are patient – and I think a lot of them are educated enough to see the progress being made – then if we can keep these players together then we’ve got the nucleus of a strong, homegrown team.

“We could have a pack there for the next 10 years who are all homegrown.

“They know Bradford, they love Bradford, and hopefully that will stand us in good stead for the future.

“The sooner a solution is found to the current financial situation at the club then the more likely that all these lads will stay together and the next crop of the Under-16s coming through will want to stay at Bradford as well.

“We’ve got some good talent in the Under-16s too.”