Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce admitted he had no choice but to rely on striker Amr Zaki due to shortage of options upfront. The Egyptian international, who was fined four weeks' wages after returning late from international duty, was introduced as a second-half substitute in Wigan's 2-0 defeat to Blackburn last weekend. He is also expected to the make Wigan's starting line-up in their next Premier League match against Bolton Wanderers after his compatriot Mido sustained a shoulder injury. "We haven't got umpteen forwards and I know what I would like to do with his behavior - but it has not been possible so he is in the squad," Bruce was quoted as saying by The Guardian. "I can't leave him out of the squad because we haven't got enough players." Zaki, who joined Wigan on a season-long loan from Cairo giants Zamalek last summer, made an impressive start to his English adventure.
Bruce: I can't leave Zaki out of the squad because we haven't got enough players He scored ten goals in the first half of the season to become the Latics' top scorer but suffered a dip in form afterwards. The 26-year-old hasn't found the net since converting a penalty against Bolton in December last year. Bruce believes the hype that surrounded Zaki earlier in the season took its toll on his displays. "He is supposed to be going to every club in Europe – Real Madrid at one stage – and I think the whole thing turned into a circus and it affected him," the English boss said. "He has not been the same since. If he had kept his head down, kept working away and been the player he was at the start of the year, rather than being what he was at the moment, then everything would be hunky-dory."
