Martinez praise for midfield duo

Last updated : 23 October 2009 By Paul Farrington
The duo have stepped into the boots left vacant by Lee Cattermole's departure to Sunderland with relative ease.

Commanding performances in the middle of the park have now become the norm at the DW Stadium, a fact that does not suprise the Latics boss.

Speaking to the club's official website, Martinez said: "(Hendry) Thomas and (Momo) Diame have clicked straight away.

"Their partnership works really well, obviously they speak the same language which helps, but you can see that they have that chemistry where they don't have to do a lot of talking to one another because it comes so naturally and they understand each other's game.

"The good thing is that I think there is more to come and that we can continue to improve on those stats."

Hendry Thomas joined the club from Deportivo Olimpia and the deal was agreed prior to Martinez joining as boss, whilst Diame was a £4 million capture from Almeria in Spain.

Although Martinez can take little credit for the Thomas deal, the capture of Diame is already looking to be a real bargain.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Turf Moor on Saturday, Diame told the Wigan Evening Post: "We have to be ready for the challenge. We have to get it into our heads that Burnley will be coming to eat us up on Saturday.

"I have to admit I'd never heard of Burnley before I came to Wigan, but I watched them beat Manchester United and that was the first time I became aware of the Burnley phenomenon.

"I've done a lot of learning about English football since I've been here. Every team is new and every stadium is new."

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