Wigan Athletic: Gary Caldwell promised "real quality" after capitalising on Man United situation and he delivered | OneFootball

Former Manchester United starlet Nick Powell was a class act throughout his time with Wigan Athletic

Wigan Athletic's glory days came in the form of an eight-year Premier League stint which lasted from 2005-2013, and culminated in the club lifting the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium just days before facing relegation from the top-flight.

Following a somewhat chaotic turn of events, in which the Latics became the first-ever club to win the oldest domestic cup competition in the world, and also face relegation in the same season, promotion was the clear aim for all at the Brick Community Stadium ahead of the 2013/14 Championship campaign.

But it wouldn't be an easy task, especially after the Wigan's cup-winning manager Roberto Martinez left Greater Manchester in favour of Merseyside outfit Everton.

The then-new boss, Owen Coyle, had a tricky task on his hands, which prompted him to make summer signings, such as the addition of Nick Powell, who was just a teenager at the time and moved to the Brick Community stadium on loan from former parent club Manchester United.

While Coyle was sacked by the Latics in December 2013, Powell continued to impress in Latics colours and scored seven league goals as the men in blue and white landed a 2013/14 Championship play-off place under the stewardship of Coyle's successor, Uwe Rosler.

But Powell's most notable exploits in WN5 came in the Europa League, as he scored three goals, having appeared in all six group games, including a brace during a famous 3-1 victory over Slovenian outfit Maribor.

Despite the attacking midfielder's efforts, the Tics were dumped out of the European competition following the conclusion of the group stage.

Meanwhile, despite his impressive loan stint with the Latics, Powell struggled for game time at Man United, and during loan spells with both Leicester City and Hull City in 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively.

Ahead of the 2016/17 Championship season, Powell's contract at Old Trafford expired, and he was re-signed by the Latics, this time on a permanent basis.

Gary Caldwell promised big things from Powell and was right to do so

Following the attacking midfielder's return to Man United in 2014, Wigan faced a torrid time and were relegated to League One in 2015, just two years on from their FA Cup final victory.

But former boss Gary Caldwell would soon be responsible for the club's first silverware since their famous day out at Wembley and guided the Latics to the 2015/16 third-tier title.

However, the Scot knew that he would then have a tough task on his hands in retaining the Greater Manchester outfit's Championship status, which prompted him to seek a deal for Powell during the summer of 2016.

Upon Powell's arrival, Caldwell told the Latics official website: "Nick is a quality player.

"He’s the one player we wanted to get this summer, and we are so happy we’ve got him.

"When I played with him, he was the best 19-year-old I’d ever played with.

"He’s had a frustrating couple of years with injuries and not managing to settle anywhere, but we absolutely believe in him because he’s a special player with the talent to get a stadium to its feet.

"He is still very young and has got so much more to give the game.

"We are delighted he can continue his progress with us."

Despite Caldwell's praise for his former teammate, who he was clearly so eager to sign, the Scot's time as Powell's manager would not last long, as the Latics sacked their boss in October 2016, after starting their Championship campaign in a similar manner to that of the early exchanges of the 2013/14 season which had previously seen Coyle dismissed of his duties.

The conclusion of the 2016/17 second-tier campaign would see the Greater Manchester side relegated to League One for the second time in as many years, but it was not due to the fault of Powell, who scored six goals in 21 appearances, including a ridiculous 11-minute hat-trick against Barnsley in April 2017.

The former Man United man would subsequently prove his worth during the 2017/18 League One season and fired his side back to the Championship at the first time of asking, with 15 goals and six assists in 39 third-tier outings.

Under the stewardship of then-boss Paul Cook, Powell had established a serious eye for goal, which supporters hoped would keep the Latics in the second tier this time around.

And so it proved, as the creative ace produced a Championship return of eight goals and six assists, as the Tics finished 18th, and a comfortable 12 points above the drop zone.

Powell free transfer will be difficult for Latics to emulate

Powell was a talented individual, whose exploits at the Brick Community Stadium helped the Latics win the 2018 League One title ahead of local rivals Blackburn Rovers, before he then played an instrumental role in maintaining the club's Championship status.

Following his memorable Wigan days, the former Man United man went on to join Stoke City, where he would impress at Championship level, especially during a 2020/21 campaign in which he scored 12 goals and made three assists.

Powell moved to Stockport County in 2023, and Latics fans would not have been surprised to see that he played a role in the Hatters' promotion from League Two to League One.

It may be a very long time until the Tics are able to get their hands on a more talented free agent signing than Powell, while they can thank Caldwell for the excellent services of the attacking midfielder.