Wigan Athletic chief backs starlet to keep on scoring

That’s the view of manager Leam Richardson who, in the absence of Kyle Joseph and Jamie Proctor, entrusted the 22-year-old with lone striking duties at Northampton on Tuesday.

Lang responded with the late winner to breathe new life into the club’s survival hopes and, having spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Motherwell, he is making up for lost time.

"We gave Callum a job spec that we knew would be demanding," said Richardson. "We knew the Northampton backline would give him a tough test.

"But I thought he led the line very well, he did a lot of unselfish work, a lot of off-the-ball running to bring others into the game and to create that space for others.

"He's still a young lad, he's still learning so much about the game, he's still got a long way to go.

"We're still working with him on the training pitch, and he still needs to know what is a success for him.

"We're all aware of the tools he has got, and it's up to him now to exploit them on a more regular basis.

"Callum's a different player when his shoulders are facing the opposition goal, and he knows that.

"His threat is all about pace, full of energy, full of guile.

"And we saw in midweek, with the threat he brings, when he gets on the wrong side of a defender - the right side for him - it allows him to show what a good player he is."

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