Josh Windass missed out on the Wigan Athletic squad in their 2-2 draw with Bristol City on Sunday, with his Dad casting doubt over the reason for his absence.

Former professional footballer and father of Windass, Dean, squashed reports that suggested Josh was missing with a calf injury - taking to Twitter to issue the following update:

The former Rangers forward started the season brilliantly, scoring against Cardiff City on the opening day in a 3-2 victory. It looked as if he was going to be Wigan’s star man this season, however it’s not quite working out that way.

Windass suffered a calf injury in August, which ruled him out until the beginning of October.

Since returning he hasn’t looked at his best or fully fit. After a brief appearance off the bench against Nottingham Forest, Windass was left out of the 18 man squad for the trip to Bristol City.

The Verdict

Wigan are a better side with Windass in it. He’s a key player and someone that Paul Cook needs to get the best out of. With Nick Powell leaving in the summer, it presented Windass with a real opportunity to nail down a starting spot and push on with his career at Wigan.

His individual performance on the opening day excited Wigan fans, but since then it’s amounted to nothing. Windass is a talented footballer who can hurt any team in the Championship. The forward offers directness, pace, goals and works hard for the team.

In their last two matches, Wigan have dominated both and came away with one point, due to not taking advantage of goalscoring opportunities. That’s where they need Windass; someone who can play that quality final pass, or score himself.

For Cook to leave him out of the squad completely suggests something isn’t quite right off the field. Whatever it is, Cook needs to try and resolve the situation and get him back playing, or sell him in January and reinvest the funds. Most Championship sides would take Windass, so he would attract a sizeable fee.

If it’s not going to work out at Wigan, then they’ll be better off selling him and signing a direct replacement in January.