Luke McAlister is set to make his Sale debut in Friday's clash against Worcester but coach Kingsley Jones has warned fans not to expect too much too soon.

McAlister adds to an already impressive backline but Jones believes it will take time for his attacking stars to gel together.

"There's new players around Luke and new moves, so we don't expect too much from him yet," he said.

"But you can see his quality straight away. He's got good feet, he's powerful, he's got good hands and a solid kicking game.

"He possesses all those things - that's why we wanted him here - but the key thing is his decision making.

"He invariably makes the right decision on the ball and that's why he's come through able to play in three positions across the middle.

"He's certainly going to bring us a lot in attack, with the likes of Rory Lamont, Mark Cueto, Julien Laharrague, Ben Foden and Steve Hanley available for the back three.

"It'll take a bit of pressure off Charlie Hodgson too. It'll take time but once those two get used to each other, the possibilities are endless and it's going to be very difficult to defend."

Capable of playing either 10, 12 or 13, McAlister insists he is happy to play wherever Sale need him.

"We've run with Luke in training in a couple of positions and there is a possibility we're going to start with him," Jones said.

"He's only trained with us for two sessions so far and he's fitting in well. But we've got to be fair to Lee Thomas. He's been very good at 12 for us and put his hand up in that position."

Sale will also welcome back other international stars Sébastien Chabal, Cueto, Andrew Sheridan and Jason White for the first time since the World Cup.