James McClean fires shots at Wigan Athletic hierarchy following Shaun Maloney sacking | OneFootball

James McClean has reacted to Shaun Maloney's sacking at Wigan Athletic.

Wigan Athletic have sacked Shaun Maloney after a late 2-1 defeat to Reading on Saturday afternoon, with James McClean taking a swipe at the Latics hierarchy for the decision.

The Latics confirmed the decision on their website on Sunday morning after a disappointing season so far, with assistant manager Max Rogersalso departing alongside Maloney.

It means former Premier League midfielder Glenn Whelan will take charge of Wigan on an interim basis, supported by club legend Graham Barrow and also Frankie Bunn.

Wrexham player James McClean reacts to Shaun Maloney sacking at Wigan

Wigan have 13 games left in League One to secure their third tier status for another year, as they have hovered perilously close to the drop zone for much of the campaign so far.

Despite that, the timing of Maloney's sacking will have shocked many Wigan supporters, especially after the work that he has done with them in the last two years, while McClean is another who is surprised at the news.

McClean is a popular figure among Wigan supporters, who initially joined the club from former club Sunderland in the summer of 2013.

He has taken to his Instagram story to react to the latest news by taking aim at Mike Danson, the owner of Wigan, and Gregor Rioch, the Sporting Director of the club, backing his former team-mate over his shock departure.

Despite leaving the club after his second stint in the summer of 2023 to Wrexham, there is seemingly no love lost between McClean and the club's owners. He wrote: "Right Shaun, you have to get rid of all your experienced players, here is a bunch of kids.

"You have no budget by the way either and we will sell your best players each window, but we want you to perform miracles in the league also.

"Regards Danson and lapdog Rioch."

McClean played alongside Maloney as a player from 2013 until 2015 after the wideman's first spell with the Latics lasted two seasons, as he went on to join West Bromwich Albion in 2015.

Despite the Greater Manchester side's relegation to League One that year, the Ireland international proved his worth after he scored six goals and notched six assists and was deservedly awarded the Latics player of the season award.

In many ways, McClean then solidified his status as a modern-day Latics hero as his performances helped guide the Latics towards the 2022 League One title.

The 35-year-old left Latics for a second, and presumably final, time last summer and joined Welsh outfit Wrexham on their quest to achieve back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One.

His words will therefore carry weight in the fanbase, with many likely to echo the same frustrations that irk McClean regarding the sales of key players and a desperate situation at present.

After selling Thelo Aasgaard to Luton Town in January, it was always likely that Wigan would struggle further between now and the end of the campaign, which is the current situation many expected, but Maloney's exit does seem harsh given the circumstances surrounding it.