LEE Evans believes he will prosper from dropping down a division to a club where he feels wanted after swapping Wolves for Wigan in League One.

The former Newport County AFC midfielder will spend the season at the DW Stadium after sealing a loan move from the West Midlands.

Evans signed a fresh three-and-a-half year contract at Molineux in February and featured 13 times under Paul Lambert after returning to the first team fray in January.

However, new manager Nuno Espírito Santo told the uncapped 23-year-old, who was called into Chris Coleman's senior Wales squad for the June World Cup qualifier against Serbia, that he wasn't part of his plans.

After training with the Wanderers' Under-23 squad rather than the first team, Evans is thrilled to have sealed a move.

"I knew I didn't really have a future this season at Wolves so to join a club like Wigan, who are pushing for promotion this season, is a perfect opportunity for me," said Evans.

"It's part of football, different managers have different opinions; under Paul Lambert I was playing quite a bit and he gave me a new contract but now the new manager has different ideas.

"That's fine, they told me soon enough so I had plenty of time to get things sorted, I had plenty of options but I felt like Wigan was the best opportunity for me."

Evans, who had a spell in League One at Bradford in 2015/16, is confident he can thrive for the Latics in their bid to return to the Championship.

"I am a midfielder who likes to get on the ball and dictate play, and that's one of the main reasons I did come here because the manager rang me up and said exactly what he wanted from a midfielder and that he'd watched me plenty of times and wanted me in there," he said.

"That is all I have wanted really, a manager to put confidence in me – hopefully I'll repay him on the pitch."

Wigan start their campaign at MK Dons on Saturday but Evans knows that he may have to bide his time if he is to become an influential figure.

"I haven't had an ideal pre-season to be honest," he admitted. "I haven't played a minute yet and that's something me and the manager have spoken about.

"I need to get as fit as possible as quick as possible really, but I am naturally fit and have been putting in a lot of hard work myself.

"I have been trying to keep myself in the best shape but nothing gets you as fit as games so hopefully I'll get a game as soon as possible."

Evans moved to Wolves in January 2013 after coming through the Exiles ranks, making 25 appearances in the Blue Square Bet Premier and playing in the FA Trophy final against York at Wembley.