Wigan Athletic ace on importance of squad 'bonding'

The squad jetted out for Spain at the weekend for Campoamor, on the Costa Blanca.

And as well as being put through their paces on the grass, it will also stand the squad in good stead off the field too.

“Pre-season is always hard, but you get through it, and it puts you in a good place at the start of the season," said Whatmough.

“Trips are where the team bonding happens. We went to Scotland last year which was a really good trip.

"It was still the height of the pandemic so we were limited in what we could do, but we got the work done, and going to Spain is exactly the same.

“It’s great for the boys to spend time with each other and crack on.

"A lot of last season was down to having a settled squad and a really good changing room, so we need to take exactly what we did last year and raise our game.

“To have that bit of time to reflect on what happened was great, but every footballer gets to a certain point in the off-season where they are itching to get back and that was definitely me!

“I’m happy to be back and looking forward to the season now. For us, (the group) is like a second family, so being back here and seeing everyone again is nice.”

Whatmough is aiming to build on a fairytale debut campaign at Wigan, having played in every one of the 46 league games, being voted player of the year, and selected for both the EFL and PFA teams of the year.

“I want to get another good pre-season and play as many games as I can throughout the season," he said.

“It’ll be my first time in the Championship, and it’s a challenge I’m really looking forward to.

‘It’s going to be a tough year but we’ve got to step up to the test and prove we’re worthy to be there.”