Marc Albrighton is delighted to have sealed a loan move to Wigan Athletic, having fallen down the pecking order at Aston Villa.
The 23-year-old was once regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the country, having force his way into the first team at Villa Park under Gerard Houllier. However, he has struggled to make an impact under current manager Paul Lambert, who suggested the former England Under-21 international left for a loan spell elsewhere.
Albrighton, who last appeared in the Premier League on New Years’ Day, has now joined Wigan on a 28-day stint. The winger is certainly looking forward to linking up with Owen Coyle’s men, and hopes he can prove he can still make his mark in games whilst helping the Lancashire side charge up the Championship standings.
“It’s really nice to be wanted,” he told Latics’ official website. “Hopefully over the next month I can pick up some good form, confidence and do well for Wigan Athletic. I can’t wait to get going with the lads and hopefully prove a point while I’m here to Aston Villa and to myself, in all honesty. I need to show that I can still do it and at the same time help the club put some points on the board to move further up the table where they should be.
“I’m 23 years of age, so it’s an important stage in my career and that’s why I was so desperate to get out on loan and compete for first-team football. Paul Lambert agreed that this would be an ideal move for me, and as soon as I found out Wigan Athletic were interested in bringing me in I jumped at the chance to come to the DW Stadium.”
Wigan, who stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season, are currently 12 points off the playoff places in the second-tier, although they do have two games in hand. It is perhaps fair to suggest they have struggled to combat a fixture list which contains an involvement in the UEFA Europa League, a competition in which they have already played three times in and have at least the same number remaining.
