Cronulla star Josh Dugan has denied a report claiming his teammates have lost faith in him for an unimpressive pre-season which has put his NRL future at the Sharks in doubt.

The Sharks will hold a meeting with Dugan’s agent Paul Sutton in the next 24 hours to discuss how to resolve issues with the former Australia star.

The Fox Sports report stated Dugan had missed training sessions over the pre-season and claimed his effort had been less than impressive, concerning coaches and teammates.

After the story was published, Dugan took to social media to refute it.

“Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story”, he tweeted.

However, there appears to be more to the situation after Channel Nine reported Dugan is facing surgery that could rule him out for up to nine months to correct arthritis and worn cartilage in his knee.

On Wednesday afternoon Dugan’s agent was on a flight to Sydney and was unable to comment.

The Sharks and Rugby League Players Association have also been contacted for comment.

The 29-year-old is in the final two years of his deal at the Sharks which is believed to be worth around $900,000 per season, making him one of the highest paid players at the club.

The Sharks are dealing with a salary cap squeeze, as well as an excess of players in the backline including four centres: Dugan, Bronson Xerri, Jesse Ramien and Josh Morris.

Xerri, considered an emerging star of the game, is contracted with the Sharks until the end of 2021 and will be free to negotiate with rivals from November 1, while Ramien is in the first season of his four-year-deal with the club.

Last season Dugan played 23 games for the Sharks at centre, fullback and wing, and scored 11 tries.