Chey Dunkley has battle on hands for Wigan Athletic place with Dan Burn

Dunkley has been an immense presence at the heart of the Latics defence this term, alongside new-boy Cedric Kipre.

But Burn is now back from a broken foot sustained in pre-season and desperate to make up for lost time.

Dunkley is well aware that three-into-two won’t go if boss Paul Cook chooses to stick with his tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1 formation.

And he has a simple message for his fit-again pal – bring it on!

“It’s a fight for shirts all over the pitch to be fair, not just at centre-back,” Dunkley said.

“Centre-midfield, up top, wingers...that’s the club we’re building, everyone is fighting for a spot.

“And I’d much rather be in a squad where the levels are so high and every player is having to hit his maximum to stay in the side.

“Dan’s been amazing ever since I’ve been at the club, while big Cedric’s been a very good addition this year.

“It’s a good challenge to get a starting place, but whoever is selected, we just want the 11 who are in the side to do as well as they can.

“The bond between the lads is so close, and that’s partly why we’ve been doing as well as we have.

“The gaffer’s very big on team cohesion, he likes to include everyone as much as he can, and it’s a big part of what we’re about.”