Wigan Athletic starlet hails presence of the 'original' Academy graduate

McManaman has been rolling back the years after penning a one-year deal last summer - his third spell with Latics.

He spent much of last term working on his fitness with the club's Under-21s down at Christopher Park.

As a result, he's been a welcome face for Smith - and colleagues Baba Adeeko, Chris Sze, Sam Tickle, Josh Stones and even Charlie Hughes - to aid their step up.

"Obviously we all know what Cal's done for this club, he's played a special part in its history," said Wigan-born Smith.

"He has the know-how in the game, and he was a massive influence when he came back, at first to work on his fitness.

"It quickly became apparent he still had that fire in his belly, and he's been excellent the more he's been involved.

"He sets the standard every day, and it's obvious it really means something to him.

"And if he's still able to do what he's doing at his age, it shows we need to keep pushing every day if we want to do the same."

Smith admits being one of several Academy graduates to come through at the same time has helped them all individually and collectively.

"It's definitely helped having so many young lads coming through at the same time," he added.

"It means we've known a lot of the other lads and that has helped the integration.

"Ultimately you want to settle into that environment as quickly as possible.

"And when you do get that opportunity, you're in a better position to be able to take it."

The emergence of so many young players onto the scene has helped Latics completely transform their demographic in the space of a few months.

From being the oldest squad in the Championship last term – with the lowest resale value in the division – Latics now have the youngest squad in League One, with several of the Academy graduates having already received international call-ups.