BOSS Dean Ryan says that the Dragons are 'protected financially' with a deal to continue helping former Wales centre Cory Allen on his near three-year comeback trail.

The 29-year-old signed last summer after leaving the Ospreys to continue his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury suffered in September 2019.

Allen failed to feature in 2021/22 but was not named in the region's list of 14 confirmed leavers and is poised to remain on the books with the aim of him being a midfield option along with Jack Dixon, Aneurin Owen and new signings Max Clark and Sio Tomkinson.

The Dragons have released dependable stalwart Adam Warren but Allen is on a differently structured contract given his injury past.

Director of rugby Ryan believes the manner of the deal that the six-times capped international is on makes the gamble worthwhile.

South Wales Argus: Cory Allen in action for Wales five years agoCory Allen in action for Wales five years ago

"We want to support him through the recovery while at the same time not exposing the business," said Ryan. "We have done that in conversations with Cory and want to support him to get playing.

"We obviously can't do that forever, but if we get it right then we get a player at the Dragons that we probably wouldn't have got in another situation.

"There is some risk attached but we are protected financially along the way. That's always been the situation and we are still in the position of supporting him to get back playing.

"There is always a point [where you have to stop] but at the moment I am not getting messages that a return not going to happen.

"We have to take risk because we don't get some of the players that we pitch for. If it doesn't work then it's my responsibility and we have protected the business along the way.

"If it works it will have been worth the risk. I'm not going to talk about [the specifics of] contracts but the business is protected."

Six-times capped Allen, who also played for Wales at sevens, last played for the Ospreys against Ulster in September 2019.

The back came through the ranks at Cardiff and scored a hat-trick in Wales' opening match of the 2015 World Cup but his career has been plagued by injury misfortune.