Martinez calls for N'Zogbia to show dedication after Wigan near exit

Wigan's manager Roberto Martinez has warned the winger Charles N'Zogbia he has to prove himself to his team-mates after almost leaving last week.

The Frenchman was on the verge of a £9m move to Birmingham City after the Latics agreed a fee but the deal collapsed when the 24-year-old altered his demands.

N'Zogbia was left out of the side which beat Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane last Saturday and even reportedly tried to resurrect a deal with the Blues on transfer deadline day last Monday.

Martinez admits the player has plenty of work to do to get back into favour at the DW Stadium. "He is an important player for Wigan. Now it is a matter of him showing the players how focused and dedicated he is to help the team achieve things," the Wigan manager said yesterday. "Charles has been through a turbulent period but he wanted to stay at Wigan so his frame of mind is the right one.

"Now he has to show how ready he is on the training ground to see if he can be prepared to help the team get a result. You need to prove yourself, show how much you care about the team and the club before yourself and if you do that your talent will speak.

"When you have talented players like Charles N'Zogbia you want them in the football club and now it is down to him to show how much he wants to play."

Martinez alluded to the effect the actions of N'Zogbia have had within the squad. "What you get with that sort of result [at Tottenham] is that we have real competition for places and that is quite clear," added the Spaniard. "There is a real team spirit in the dressing room. We have eight new players and lost 10 so you can understand the dressing room loses certain rules and certain responsibilities, and it is very easy to have individuals playing as a team.

"To have that feeling as a group of players fighting for each other and understanding what the next move is in relation to my team-mate – that is how you become a team."

Aston Villa have re-signed the veteran goalkeeper Andy Marshall on a one-year deal. The 35-year-old was released by the Midlands club on a free transfer over the summer, but has been drafted back into the Villa ranks by the caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald as cover for first-choice keeper Brad Friedel and his understudy Brad Guzan.

Marshall, whose new deal ties him to the club until June, joined Villa in the summer of 2009 after his release from Coventry but failed to make a first-team appearance last term. "It's been in the pipeline for the last three weeks that it could happen," Marshall said of his return on the club's website.