Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce is delighted with the impact made by January signing Ben Watson.

Watson, who joined Wigan at the end of January in a £1.6million move from Crystal Palace, netted his first goal for the club in Saturday's 2-1 win at Sunderland with a stunning 20-yard volley

Bruce feels the 23-year-old, who had been out for six weeks with a groin injury prior to his arrival, is now starting to come into his own.

Bruce told the Wigan Evening Post: "I remember someone in the crowd shouting and bawling at Ben in a home game a few weeks ago.

"He wasn't 100 per cent fit then. The lad hadn't played for six weeks before joining us, but he has worked hard since then, and at Sunderland you could see he has a bit of quality about him.

"Ben is 23 and has played 200 Championship games, so now he deserves his chance in the big time and we'll see how he goes. I think we have got ourselves an absolute bargain at £1.6m."