Wigan Athletic star admits he'd 'had enough of football' before kickstarting career

The 32-year-old won a one-year deal with Latics after proving himself on the training ground since the turn of the year.

He readily admits he was 'nervous and embarrassed' after being clubless since parting company with League Two Tranmere last summer.

But under the watchful eye of former team-mate Shaun Maloney, McManaman rolled back the years and rediscovered his old touch.

And he can't wait to kick-off his third spell with Latics as they begin the rebuild under new ownership.

“I’ve loved it, and it’s really good to be back," he said.

“I’ve been here since February, after getting a call from Shaun Maloney, to come in and get fit.

"At the start, it was to see if I could get another club, but it built on from there.

“I had six months off, doing nothing, and I had enough of football.

"I didn’t want to play, and it was tough, but I needed that break.

“When I got the call, I wanted to get back into it, but I was nervous and embarrassed because I’d had that long off.

"As soon as I went in, I thought I’d give this a go, and everyone was brilliant with me.

“As soon as I got fit, I felt like I was good enough, and I started to surprise people then.

"It spiralled from there and I started believing, and I earned the respect of everyone for how hard I worked behind the scenes.

“I didn’t have a break in the summer, which I’ve never done, and I think that’s really going to help me a lot.

"I feel different and hungry, and it's definitely one of my biggest achievements.

"I won’t take it for granted and I’m delighted to be here.”

Academy graduate McManaman will be one of the senior players now, with Maloney's squad already looking much more youthful than a few weeks ago.

“It’s a new squad," acknowledged McManaman. "And there’s a lot of new lads here.

"We’ve got to build that togetherness and a relationship on and off the field.

“There’s going to be tough times this season, so that’s when we need characters and experience to get together and support the younger lads.

"But we’ve got a good dressing room, and hopefully we can put a smile on the fans’ faces because it’s been a tough few years for the club.

"Our main aim is to put smiles on the fans' faces and give them a team to be proud of.

“What we will do is, always fight for them.”

And the boyhood Everton fan could not have picked better opposition for his third ‘debut’ as a Latics player this weekend.

“I can’t wait,” he added. “If you’d said to me six months ago I’d been playing for Wigan against Everton, I’d have laughed in your face.

“It’s going to be my little daughter’s first game so, as a family, it’s a big moment, and I can’t wait for us to test ourselves against a good side.

“We can’t look too much into it, but we’ve got to test ourselves and push ourselves against a Premier League side.”