Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has told Latics boss Steve Bruce that he will have to sell before he can buy in January. "His first year has flown by and he's been a remarkable manager for us," he told the club's official website.

"We were in trouble when he took over. He set us on the path to avoid relegation and we finished well.

"He's overhauled every single thing from top to bottom.

"He's always looking for something else and something new, but what he wants is usually the right thing and I'll back him when and where I can."

"If he wants to move people around then he'll do that," he said.

"If he wants to buy somebody, he'll have to move somebody out because we have a limit and a salary cap to keep to, so we'll see what he wants to do."