Wigan Athletic star lifts lid on 'finger-pointing' from fans

The Wales international made a triumphant return at Plymouth on Tuesday night, pulling the strings as Latics secured a priceless 2-0 victory that lifted them out of the drop zone.

His previous run-out had been the 1-0 win at Sunderland on December 8, before which he'd been sidelined since the end of October with a knee injury.

Evans had been expected to be one of the major players this term, having proven his quality in the Championship.

But his absence for most of the campaign - along with Gavin Massey, who also recently returned after long-term injury - led to what he's labelled 'finger-pointing' from a section of the fanbase.

Something Evans is adamant was not, and is not, not the case.

“Gav has been brilliant since he’s come back," said the midfielder. "It’s been tough for both me and him.

"The fingers have been pointed at us because we haven’t been fit, and people may have thought we didn’t want to be out there.

"But trust me if you see the work we have been doing at the training ground, we’re desperate to get back in.

"Gav is a prime example of this - he’s getting better and better and another great performance from him (at Plymouth).

“Touch wood we don’t pick up anymore injuries, because this season has been full of them.

"The squad is looking good, with a strong bench and lots of players champing at the bit to be playing.

“For me it will be good to get out on the training ground now, as I haven’t really had much time out there to be honest.

"It’s been straight into the game, which was tough, and my legs were a bit gone during the second half.

"But we will put our feet up for a couple of days and hopefully everyone will be at it again on Tuesday.”

Latics have now won four of their 10 league matches with Evans in the side - and only five of the other 24 fixtures - leaving everyone hoping for an injury-free run-in.

“Everyone knows it’s been a tough season for me," he added.

"I’ve been as disappointed as anyone not to be able to help the team.

"Seeing the team struggling and not being able to help is tough, so I'm just delighted to be back out there.

“All I wanted to do is play football for this football club ever since I signed here.

"It’s nice to be part of it - to be back means the world to me.”

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