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Steve Madeley on Callum McManaman and Michael Essien

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Steve Madeley talks to Nathan Judah about the latest news surrounding bids for Callum McManaman and Michael Essien .more

Despite the interest, Latics boss Malky Mackay is confident the 23-year-old will be able to handle the attention sparked by Albion's two bids.

Baggies boss Tony Pulis has made McMamanan his No.1 January target with Wigan expected to rejected a second bid of around £4.5m, having already turned down an opening offer of around £3m.

And Mackay says McManaman will be able to handle the constant speculation over his future in the same way as Shaun Maloney, who was set to leave the DW Stadium last week before a proposed move to Leicester fell through.

"I hope Callum would deal with the situation the same as Shaun has," Mackay said.

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"I've only known him for a few weeks but he seems a really nice young lad, well grounded.

"This is the first time he's found himself in this kind of situation, but I do think he'll handle it in the right way.

"He'll be disappointed that he's been forced to miss the last three matches through suspension.

"He'll want to prove a point to himself when he does get back on the field."

The Latics are believed to be holding out for around £6m for McManaman, who came to prominence in their 2013 FA Cup run and was named man of the match in the final.

And they insist they are under no pressure to sell, with the Scouser contracted until 2017.