Wigan Athletic manager Paul Cook has suggested that the club's on-loan Blackburn Rovers defender Charlie Mulgrew could make his move to The DW Stadium permanent, and that the Scot himself will have a significant say in what happens with his future.

Mulgrew joined Wigan on a season-long loan from Blackburn on the final day of the summer transfer window, and has gone onto make nine appearances in all competitions for the Latics, captaining the club in their recent win over Nottingham Forest.

Given his impact at Wigan, questions have inevitably been asked about Mulgrew's future, with Cook seeming to confirm that both his side and Blackburn have options on the defender that could be triggered in January, as he told Wigan Today: “Charlie’s here for the minute, but he’s still a Blackburn Rovers player.

“We respect that, there’s no problem there at all. I think there are options for both clubs in January.

“But I think a player of his stature will have a big say in what he does. And I’m sure if you look at his face at the moment, you can see he’s a very happy lad.”

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Reflecting on Mulgrew's impact since arriving from Blackburn, Cook has nothing but praise for the 33-year-old, as he claimed: “He’s been excellent Charlie, hasn’t he?

“You can see yourselves he’s a stand-out player and a stand-out lad. He’s had an illustrious career, and I’m sure that’s going to go on for a lot longer yet. He reads the game well, he very rarely finds himself in trouble, and he’s a big figure in and around the dressing room.

“He was our captain on Sunday (against Nottingham Forest), and that speaks volumes about what we think of him.”

Wigan are currently 19th in the Championship standings, one point and three places behind Mulgrew's parent club Blackburn.

As it stands there are two years remaining on Mulgrew's deal with Blackburn, securing his future with Rovers until the summer of 2021.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

The fact that Cook has confirmed both clubs have options on Mulgrew come January certainly seems to suggest that the Latics could be given the opportunity to make this deal permanent, and you couldn't blame them for trying to do that.

Mulgrew has been brilliant since his arrival at The DW Stadium, and the fact he has already been handed the responsibility of captaining the side shows just how highly he is thought of at the club.

That being said, given the defensive injury crisis Blackburn find themselves in at the moment, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if they looked to recall their club captain in January, although whether or not Mulgrew will want to leave Wigan given the resurgence he is having there, may well be another matter altogether.