No easy fix to Wigan Athletic quandary, insists Shaun Maloney

Latics saw their fine run of form hit a roadblock in the form of back-to-back defeats on the road at Port Vale and Reading.

And with no sign of their walking wounded - including Thelo Aasgaard, Matt Smith, Jason Kerr, Tom Pearce and Martial Godo - returning imminently, Maloney knows it's a case of making do and mending.

"We're just trying to let the players recover as much as we can," he said. "It felt like it was another physical game at Reading, and we're asking a lot of our attacking players at the moment.

"A big part at the moment is recovery, because we won't have anyone back over this period.

"All of the injuries we have won't be back until mid to late January. It's about letting everyone recover and, from the guys we have available, we'll pick a side that gives us the best chance to beat Derby, and then Carlisle.

"What I did like was the mentality of the players at Reading. If you give Reading time to play, they will play. But I really like the way we went at them in an aggressive manner."

Charlie Hughes missed the defeat at Reading due to illness, causing a reshuffle which saw Sean Clare and Steven Sessegnon playing in the centre of the backline with Liam Morrison.

"I wouldn't have expected to have been playing Sean and Steven in a back three, as we did at Reading," acknowledged Maloney.

"But sometimes that's what happens, and every club will go through injuries and illness during the course of a season.

"Both of them came to us on the back of injury problems, and I think there's still so much to come from them both.

"Normally I don't mind changing the midfield or the attack, but I do like to have a settled and stable defensive line.

"It's just a shame that, at the moment, that's not possible.

"We've done both four and five at the back on various occasions this season.

"This was different, we had to go that way because of the personnel we had available, we only had one recognised centre-back.”