Wigan Athletic boss issues challenge to Josh Stones and Thelo Aasgaard ahead of new campaign

That's the verdict of Shaun Maloney, who has been delighted with the way Stones, 20, has assumed the mantle of being the only senior striker - before the loan arrival of Joe Hugill from Manchester United - on the books.

"The thing with Stonesey, he has so many physical attributes, and I have to keep pushing him," said the Latics boss.

"He's a good player, he's a good guy, but I need to push him. If I do, and he really commits to it, Stonesey has a real chance of playing a lot of minutes for us this year."

Maloney is also predicting big things from Thelo Aasgaard in the coming campaign.

The Norway Under-21 international has found the net five times already in pre-season, in a more advanced role than he's previously played.

Despite being only 22, Aasgaard is now regarded as a senior figure at the club - and even captained the side in the second half of Saturday's 1-1 draw against Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers.

"It was great to see him with the armband on," added Maloney. "Although he's still a young man, he definitely shows leadership skills with the ball.

"Thelo's in good form and that's what we all want to see. He's finding himself in those areas more and more, and it's a big improvement in his game.

"At that level, against Championship opposition, he certainly did not look out of place."

Utility man Steven Sessegnon missed the Blackburn game, but he will be back in contention for the double-header this weekend at Tranmere (Friday) and Barrow (Saturday).

"He was close to playing on Saturday, but he twisted his ankle in training and it's taking an extra couple of days," added the Latics boss. "If he doesn't train early in the week, he will be available for the games next weekend."

Latics open their League One campaign the following Saturday with the visit of Charlton Athletic to the Brick Community Stadium.