Wigan Athletic chief reveals reason for striker exit - 'His actions suggested he wanted to be somewhere else'

The 23-year-old forward has joined reigning champions Shamrock Rovers until the end of the League of Ireland season in November.

His last game in a Latics shirt was the 4-2 defeat at Stockport County on February 21, when he was sent off for a wild lunge shortly after coming on as a substitute.

And Caldwell has revealed the sequence of events which paved the way for his exit.

"Maleace had come to me a few times about wanting to leave the club, about feeling frustrated at the club," said the Latics boss.

"I tried to persuade him it was a new regime, I tried to get him involved, and he obviously came onto the pitch at Stockport.

"I felt his actions suggested he wanted to be somewhere else. And I feel that, with the position we're in, we can't wait to see how things like that work out.

"If there are things that need to happen, we need to be very quick and very decisive with those actions.

"I felt it was the best thing for him to leave the club, and for us to focus on players who are 100 per cent committed to being here, and getting us out of the situation we're in."

With loan star Joe Taylor available again after missing last weekend's victory over his parent club Huddersfield - joining Christian Saydee, Dara Costelloe and Harrison Bettoni in the starting ranks - Caldwell is comfortable with his options for the next couple of months.

"As long as the players here are fully committed to being here, I feel we've got enough in the building to get to where we want to be," he said.

"If we can replicate the effort and the running numbers we showed in the second half at Stockport...and the defensive effort and the blocks we showed against Luton...we'll be okay.

"These players are giving me everything, and it's my job, and the staff's job, to give them a clarity on how we want to play and how we need to be in the last 14 games to get us enough points.

"I need players who are going to give me everything in terms of effort. And if you're not going to give me that, and if you don't want to be here, then that's why we've made that decision."

He also confirmed Asamoah Jnr's departure was not a case of freeing up wages to bring in a new player.

"Do you know of any available free agents," he joked. "No it wasn't for that.

"We feel we've got enough in the building, and we only want people who are fully committed.

"He didn't feel like he was, for his own reasons...and I'm not criticising Maleace...he had good reasons for that.

"But I felt it was the right thing for us and for him to allow him to go out on loan."