Wigan Athletic boss Owen Coyle has confirmed that Shaun Maloney will see a specialist tomorrow to find out how bad his niggling back complaint has become.

Maloney has missed Wigan's last two matches after tweaking his back on international duty at the start of this month, with Coyle deciding to take no chances with the playmaker.

Coyle has revealed that an initial scan conducted by club doctors showed a minor problem, which the Latics want assessed by a back specialist.

He told the Wigan Evening Post: "He tweaked his back when he went away with the Scotland squad the other week, although he played both games and was their matchwinner in the second one.

"It's a source of frustration for Shaun and it's a source of frustration for me because I know he is an outstanding player.

"He was scanned last week which shown a little irritation, and he'll see the specialist on Tuesday so we can ascertain exactly what the damage is."

The 30-year-old will now definitely miss tomorrow night's trip to Manchester City in the League Cup.