CLASSY POWELL HEADING BACK TO THE TOP
IS THERE a more elegant, natural talent in the Championship than Nick Powell?
The 24-year-old, unsurprisingly, stood out like a sore thumb for Wigan in League One last season.
His ability is such that, so far in the Championship this term, the eye is still drawn to him more than any player in every game he plays.
With less than a year remaining on his Wigan contract, however, it will be intriguing to see how the rest of this season unfurls.
He will have Premier League suitors in January, undoubtedly. A takeover at the DW Stadium by a Hong Kong consortium continues to rumble on and it could prove that its completion loosens the purse-strings sufficiently to persuade Powell to stay.
Powell, evidently, has never been happier. He has matured since departing Manchester United, whom he joined from Crewe aged just 18.
He has become a father, forged a fearsome forward pairing with Will Grigg and, in Paul Cook, has a manager who has moulded an exciting, dynamic team and placed Powell at the heart of it.
Surely, though, he has ambitions of a return to the Premier League. Wigan may have to return there too if they are to see more of Powell beyond this season.
In the meantime, they, like the rest of us, should simply enjoy his goals, guile and grace.