Lang injury piles on misery for Wigan Athletic

The 24-year-old forward made a surprise appearance on the bench in midweek against Middlesbrough after more than a month out with ankle ligament damage.

He was set on midway through the second period with Latics 3-1 down, but lasted only 18 minutes before limping back off.

"It doesn't look great," acknowledged Latics boss Leam Richardson.

"He got through a good number of training sessions, enough to confirm he was ready to play.

"But when you're having a bad night, these things happen, it's no coincidence.

"He goes into a tackle, and the impact is exactly where the original injury was.

"Callum being Callum, he wanted to stay on and run it off.

"But every single one of our players is important to us, and we have to be mindful of that."

Richardson was asked whether, with the benefit of hindsight, he'd have held Lang back for longer.

"It's just one of those things," he added. "When any injured player return to action, you trust the process - which I'm involved in.

"Hindsight's always a wonderful thing, but it wasn't a decision we'd make differently if we could go back."

There was better injury news regarding midfielder Jordan Cousins.

The 28-year-old was making his first appearance since April after damaging a thigh muscle in the opening game of pre-season, and came through the 90 minutes unscathed.