Wigan Athletic chief hopeful of striker return

Will Keane will hopefully be given the green light to return to the Wigan Athletic ranks for Tuesday night's visit of Blackpool.
Will KeaneWill Keane
Will Keane

The 28-year-old was conspicuous by his absence during Saturday's 0-0 draw against Fleetwood.

In-form Keane - whose six goals in his last 10 matches represent the best run of his career - is self-isolating following a positive COVID-19 test result, and Latics missed his creativity and clinical touch in the stalemate.

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But acting manager Leam Richardson is hopeful of having him back for the midweek visit of Blackpool.

"Fingers crossed he'll be in the squad and available for Tuesday," said Richardson.

"Obviously we've got to be mindful of how he's feeling, and the guidelines that have been put in place.

"But hopefully he'll be available to train in the next couple of days and available to play."

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Richardson was pleased with most aspects of the Latics performance against Fleetwood, which extended their unbeaten sequence to five matches.

But he acknowledged the loss of Keane in the final third might have been the difference between one point and three.

"Will Keane's quality is there for all to see, it's not in doubt," he added.

"But it's just one of those extra bumps in the road that we have been dealing with all season.

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"As if everything else hasn't been enough to deal with, we've also got Covid to be contending with.

"We wish him well and I'm sure he'll be back with us before too long, and he'll certainly add quality to the squad."

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