New Wigan boss Steve Bruce has called on his players to prove they are good enough to stay in the Barclays Premier League.

Bruce, who officially took charge of the 19th-placed side on Monday, has swapped one relegation battle at Birmingham for another with the Latics but is upbeat about what can be achieved at the JJB Stadium after watching a much-improved performance in the 2-0 loss at Arsenal.

"I can't wait to start now," the former Manchester United defender told the club's official website. "We've got a fantastic squad of players here that I know are good enough to stay in the Premier League. Now we've got to go out and prove it.

"I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead. I thought the team worked really hard (against Arsenal) and were a little unlucky. We clearly need to guard against that and to become hard to beat.

"I have already identified some areas where I think we can improve but generally I will say that having studied the squad, there are some fantastic players at this football club and as a group, they should be doing far better than they are.

"That's my job to start putting that right, that's why I have been brought in and the first priority of course."