Maloney needed time - Martinez

Roberto Martinez has defended his decision to overlook Shaun Maloney for much of the season.

The Scotland midfielder has been one of the inspirations behind Wigan's recent resurgence and curled home the winner against Manchester United in midweek that allowed the Latics to clamber out of the bottom three for the first time since October. All the more remarkable therefore that prior to the trip to Norwich on March 11, when he was introduced as a substitute, Maloney had been involved in only three Premier League games, all as a substitute, which in total amounted to just 34 minutes. But Martinez said: "There is a really strong adaptation period for certain players when they leave the Scottish Premier League and come to England. "We worked really hard with him physically to reach the level we needed, then he had to find a partnership and position with our players. That takes time. "Maybe you can move from Celtic to the Premier League. But not from Celtic to Wigan. With a club fighting for the title in Scotland you get a lot of possession and the main concentration is what to do with it. It is straightforward." He added: "In the Premier League physically, you need to find the right level, then you have to work out what you are doing off the ball and how you are going to defend. It is not easy."