Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez has explained why he's held back Shaun Maloney.

Maloney was ordered to brush up on his without-the-ball skills after spending most of his career in Scotland with a club that dominates most of their matches.

"Maloney is not far off starting games," said Martinez. "It's just a matter of coming from a team, in Celtic, that only concentrates on what you do in possession that we have had to look at.

"What to do when you don't have the ball is not a part of the game you tend to work on at clubs like that.

"So it is getting him up to the intensity you need in the Premier League. That is his settling-in period. The quality he has got is a real magic. He is ready now."