Wigan Athletic new-boy facing 'important' crossroads

The 30-year-old midfielder arrived from Derby in January to bolster the Latics promotion push.

Despite being a stand-out performer for the Rams in the second tier, he was unable to nail down a permanent spot in the Latics engine room.

Max Power and Tom Naylor remained the first-choice duo, with Jordan Cousins coming back into the fold after injury in the final month.

But having got his feet under the table, Shinnie wants to show the Latics fans what he's capable of next term.

"It's an important summer for me," he acknowledged. "I've been frustrated with the amount of game time I've had so far.

"But after a good pre-season, a lot of hard work, hopefully I can fight my way into the team and show what I can do.

"This was the reason I came here, because I knew there was a big chance I could get back to the Championship.

"That was where I wanted to be, and it was worth the step back to take one forward."

Having proved himself in the Championship, Shinnie is adamant this group of players will be able to handle the step up.

"The lads will be ready to compete, no doubt about that," he said.

"And from previous seasons, you can see what other promoted teams have done in the Championship.

"Blackpool did very well this year, Coventry have done it over a couple of years, so it shows what can be done.

"The team will take great confidence from that, and after a good rest we'll come back trying to follow that.

"We made it a little bit more difficult than it had to be at the end.

"But since I've been here the main aim has been to get promoted, and that's been achieved.

"To win the title as well, that's the icing on the cake, and the next step now is to kick on."