Nick Powell injury setback for Wigan Athletic

But boss Paul Cook says the ex-Manchester United man is receiving the ‘gently, gently’ treatment as he recovers from hamstring trouble.

“Nick won’t be available this weekend, and we’ve got to be very, very careful with him,” said Cook.

“He felt his calf on Thursday, and this comes on the back of him returning to full training with the first team.

“It’s a case of ‘gently, gently’ with Powelly, and hopefully he’ll be back soon.”

Cook also revealed his dilemma ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday with fit-again Michael Jacobs hammering on the door for a recall.

“Usually in football, you win a game and you don’t want to tinker with a winning team,” added Cook.

“But then you have Michael Jacobs playing so well off the bench against Aston Villa, and you want to bring him back in.

“Those are the decisions we haven’t had over the last few weeks, and they’re good decisions to have to make.

“All of a sudden we’ve got competition for places again, and we’re aiming for back-to-back wins, which would give us a massive boost.”