Having secured the services of midfielder Roger Espinoza from Sporting Kansas City, Wigan wasted little time in further adding to their ranks by snapping up Angelo Henriquez on loan from Man United. The highly-rated 18-year-old moves to the DW Stadium until the end of the season and will be hoping to shoot the Latics to safety, with Roberto Martinez’s side currently sitting third from bottom in their seemingly annual battle to beat the drop:

With star striker Arouna Kone set to depart these shores to participate in the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast, Martinez is clearly in need of extra ammunition up top. In light of Kone’s imminent departure, Franco Di Santo is the club’s next top scorer, with just three goals to his name – clearly, Wigan desperately require more firepower and their manager has high hopes that Henriquez could well be the answer:

“We’re really excited about Angelo because he is a very young man with a huge potential; he’s a goal-scorer with clever movement inside the box and has had a very successful time with his former club Universidad. We hope to have a good partnership in terms of allowing Angelo to develop as a footballer and learn of the demands of the English game, because I feel he can bring us something different in the forward line. I’m sure the fans will give him a great welcome on Saturday and it will provide him with the perfect opportunity to begin his experiences on the pitch in English football which is very exciting.”

The Statistics

Henriquez played just a single season for Universidad de Chile in his native country before United came calling last summer. Over the course of the campaign, his eye for goal was apparent – in just 17 league appearances, he found the net 11 times, with a further four strikes coming from 10 cup ties.

Henriquez has represented his country at every youth level from U15 to U20, notching 19 times in 18 appearances, and grabbed a goal on his full debut last November, climbing off the bench to net Chile’s consolation strike in a 3-1 loss to Serbia.

The Prospects

Henriquez was due to take part in the World U20 Championships with Chile later this month but United blocked the move, as Sir Alex Ferguson is keen to quicken his development in England’s top-flight instead. With United fully stocked up on strikers right now, a move to the DW should afford Henriquez the opportunity of game time – according to the teenager, Martinez has already given him assurances of game time:

“‘I asked repeatedly to go and showed desire to do so. But they want me to go to Wigan and keep playing in the Premier League. I would never say no to Chile. It would be a serious mistake, but United are not letting me go. I already talked to the manager Roberto Martinez and he told me that I would have more chances. His idea is to have me as a substitute for Kone. It will then depend on me taking advantage of the opportunity.”

The Wigan boss has revealed he has contacted the Ivory Coast FA for special dispensation to allow Kone to stay for the Gameweek 22 clash with Fulham and, while uncertainty still surrounds the forward’s availability for the January 12 match, Martinez prepared for his departure by handing Henriquez a second-half sub debut in yesterday’s FA Cup draw with Bournemouth. Post-match, Martinez’s comments indicate he was hugely impressed by the new boy’s first showing and suggest he could be a key performer for the Latics going forward:

“There is such a freshness about his play. Angelo’s movement was outstanding and his knack of getting a couple of yards in the box gave him a very good chance, which nearly brought him his first Wigan goal. I have a feeling he is going to be a real crowd favourite. Angelo tries to be very clever. Because he is not the most physical, he avoids 50-50 contact with defenders but his running into space is really sharp and incisive. We do need to get to know him a little bit better. Sometimes he made some great moves and we couldn’t see him. But he will give us a completely different dimension. His attitude is incredible. He is a young man with great standards who is desperate to be successful in the Premier League.”

Depending on his nation’s performances in South Africa, Kone could potentially be out of the domestic picture until Gameweek 27, affording Henriquez a chance to establish himself in the Latics’ first XI. While Kone has hit the ground running since his summer move from Levante, with six goals and five assists, the club lack a natural goalscorer – Di Santo, Shaun Maloney and Jordi Gomez have mustered eight strikes between them, with Di Santo failing to find the net since Gameweek 7.

A role through the middle in Martinez’s 3-4-3 looks the likeliest short-term scenario, though Kone’s versatility could see him move to the right upon his return, allowing the lightning-quick Henriquez the chance to continue in a central role. Likely to come in around 5.0 – 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League, the Chilean will be hoping his new side can replicate the end of season displays that have helped clinch their survival over the last couple of campaigns – if he vindicates the show of faith that has seen Ferguson monitoring his progress since the age of 14, he could well be worth consideration as a cut-price third forward option.

Further Reference

Angelo Henriquez Wikipedia
Angelo Henriquez Statistics
Angelo Henriquez United U21 Debut