Community Shield: I would let an unhappy player go, says Owen Coyle

Owen Coyle replaced Roberto Martinez at Wigan in June (PA Wire)

Wigan Athletic manager Owen Coyle has said of the Wayne Rooney saga that he would not keep a player who does not want to compete for the team.

Coyle, whose FA Cup holders face United in tomorrow’s Community Shield, said: “I don’t know any manager who has a player at a football club who does not want to be there because that is detrimental to the group. The one constant at any club is the fans and the fans need to know that the player is working for them.”

Though Moyes is likely to omit Rooney from tomorrow’s team, the player is not carrying a serious injury.

Coyle, who has received no bid for midfielder James McCarthy, believed to be interesting Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, said striker James McClean was making “one step back to take two steps forward” in taking a wage cut to join Wigan from Sunderland.