Former Blues loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe has joined Wigan Athletic on loan until the end of the season.

Town boss Mick McCarthy was keen to bring the 21-year-old back to Portman Road from Fulham, his previous spell having been cut short at the end of January when he was sold to the Cottagers by Manchester United.

Over the weekend, both the Blues and Latics had been given permission to speak to Tunnicliffe, who made 24 Town starts and five sub appearances without scoring during the first half of the season.

Wigan manager Uwe Rosler says he sees Tunnicliffe as a replacement for Ben Watson, who recently suffered a broken leg: "Ryan is a very promising prospect player who has experience in the Championship, and after we lost Ben, I am delighted we have got someone who is so football-educated, having come through the ranks at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.

"He is a different type of player from Ben but will definitely add a new dimension to us."

Tunnicliffe says he is looking forward to helping the Latics reach the play-offs: “It’s an exciting new chapter in my career, the new manager at Fulham has allowed me to come here on loan and my aim is to just get out there and play as many games as I possibly can.

“I’m hoping to add a few more to the 60 or so games I’ve played so far at this level and I’m hungry to help the team achieve its aims.

“Being a North West lad I recognise that it’s a great time to be here, especially with the play-off push on right now and I’m just looking forward to playing.

“I know the surroundings at the DW Stadium already having played here for Ipswich earlier on in the season.

“I’m fortunate enough to have played here and got a feel for the place before arriving at the club and I could sense back then that it was a good environment.”

Photo: Action Images

blueboy1981 added 17:32 - Feb 25 blues1 ........ you've probably overlooked the fact that the appeal factor 'on many fronts' has been diminishing lately. Agree with your thoughts about next season, this one has GONE for us, and radical plans need NOW to be drawn up for 2014/15 - otherwise we will be even easier for teams to work out a plan, and beat, by then Doesn't take 'rocket science' to do that now - for all the 'worshipping' of MM & Co. I think it's fair to say that the 'appeal factor' was higher earlier on, than now.

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alfromcol added 17:41 - Feb 25 Didn't even thank the club when he left, despite giving him an opportunity to get on. A young man with no good manners. No great loss, but a loss none the less.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 17:49 - Feb 25 Alfromcol - he put a message on Twitter thanking the club, MM and the supporters.
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leeipsw added 17:52 - Feb 25 Wigan is a 30 min drive from Manchester say no more it's prob closer to his house even tho I realise the fact he recently moved to Fulham!!!
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bluemikey100 added 17:54 - Feb 25 gone to play sexy footy at wigan
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rambohambo added 17:56 - Feb 25 One good thing about Wigan is there chairman actuelly knows a thing or to about football
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essexboy added 18:00 - Feb 25 Makes sense really,the boy lives in Wigan.
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Jimmy86 added 18:01 - Feb 25 Nevermind, as I posted in a previous thread he didnt score or really provide any assists in his spell with us and to be fair he started a fair few games for us. I know he's still young and not the finished article but we have too many other midfielders who dont score or create anything of note for our strikers to feed off. At least he will now do the same for wigan, who are chasing the play offs like us. Unless he now goes and scores on a regular basis until the end of the season. unlikely, but knowing our luck

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menacinho added 18:07 - Feb 25 Good luck to him, but not really that fussed. We already have far too many midfielders who don't score and create very little, so we don't need another one pushing the few creative ones we do have even further down the pecking order.
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Elizabeth added 18:50 - Feb 25 I have obviously hit a nerve going by all the minus hits on my post ! There is no comparison with Tunnicliffe and Green .. You all have your opinion and I sure have mine. I just hope that when this season comes to an end ( and it can't come quickly enough for me ) there will be a mass clear out of all this dead wood and that a new team can be built .. Too many seasons in this dire league !

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blueboy1981 added 19:02 - Feb 25 ..... well said Elizabeth.
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kerryblue added 19:06 - Feb 25 Don't blame him as you need to be an unskilled umpa lumpa to be part of our midfield
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bluey123 added 19:12 - Feb 25 For everyone who thinks I don't support this club its because care about ITFC I hate the way its being run Terrible Chairman and Crap managers. Some of you on here just follow like sheep believing everything you are told. Just compare the club from pre Evans era to now then even you lot should see whats happening here.
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Blue041273 added 19:21 - Feb 25 Have to feel sorry for the lad. Started the season as a player with the champions of the EPL and on loan; ends with the team at the bottom of the EPL and still on loan. Why do people criticise him for choosing Wigan over us? Maybe there is the possibility of a future there for him. I wouldn't have thought that we could offer long term prospects here.
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alfromcol added 19:24 - Feb 25 Dozzells_Bobblehat Thanks, missed it. Could have told Phil!
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Stato added 19:29 - Feb 25 Not bothered. Would rather see any spare budget used to bring in a more creative player or goal scorer on loan with view to permanent signing at end of season.
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TimmyH added 19:34 - Feb 25 I think when he gave away the ball and then slipped over against Liverpool who then went on to score said everything about him as a possible Premiership footballer, he couldn't do 'it' in this league he sure wouldn't with Fulham - hopefully he'll fire blanks for Wigan as well. So not bothered. As mentioned above a clear out of players in midfield IS needed come the end of the season as this is Definitely one area Mick has not improved upon since he's been here.

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runaround added 19:35 - Feb 25 Not really bothered he isn't coming back. I really don't think he offers much more that what we already have
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Langdon_Blue added 20:00 - Feb 25 Bluey123...Terrible Chairmen, like the one we have taking on tens of Millions of pounds of our debt, which arguably kept us in Business? Those days before him saw us forced to sell quality players like Hreidersson and Holland for peanuts to teams like Charlton, because we were in administration! Crap Managers, like the one who currently sits 5 points off of the play-offs with FORTY TWO points to still play for? I wonder where we'd be without either of these guys. Potentially playing Luton Town, another big club in the 80's whose fans probably think they 'belong' in Division 1.

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bluey123 added 20:08 - Feb 25 Langdon Blue no like the chairman has now run up a £83m debt to replace the £32m debt when he arrived and like the chairman who has not spent a penny on the up keep of the ground or the chairman who has let the pitch get into its present state. He is truly a great chairman I don't believe still when ITFC have people like you talking rubbish no wonder we are in trouble

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jas0999 added 20:15 - Feb 25 Probably a good decision. Can see our season petering out, whilst Wigan still have plenty to play for. This is not a moan or lacking ambition, but I just can't see us challenging for a top 6 spot with this small squad, now that key injuries have hit. Not convinced we need loanees now anyway. We are safe, but unlikely to challenge play offs, so may as well stick with our own players or those who may join permanently in the summer. Tunnicliffe is in neither category.

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Steelmonkey added 20:25 - Feb 25 Will be interested to see if he starts putting in goals for Wigan, if he does what will that say about the way and position he was asked to play here. bluey123 what about the painted tunstiles that cleggy had done. Langdon_Blue just as well he did, those days of having assets in players that we could sell on seem to be long gone. Who could we sell on today if we needed to - Cresswell?

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wayway added 20:39 - Feb 25 McCarthy will sign someone better? What a bloody joke. Oh, I'm sorry, we are going to skip the playoffs and go for automatic promotion so we must not be critical. I used to have that attitude when I was at school. So you are all happy to watch this utter dross that has been served up all season but that's OK, we are not in the bottom 6. YET.
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Langdon_Blue added 20:45 - Feb 25 Bluey123 - If you think I 'talk rubbish' I don't think it's even worth my effort trying to explain how our debt is managed, or trying to have an intellectual debate about anything. There is an article on TWTD a few months ago from the MD explaining, but I think you'd rather just spit out hatred about 'our' club than learn more about the subject. Steelmonkey - That is true. I remember Charlton in particular coming in with laughable offers for our players and the administration situation meaning we had to accept. The gulf between Championship and Premiership is bigger than ever, when it comes to players valuations.

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muccletonjoe added 20:59 - Feb 25 If. Its as boring to play as it is to watch then who can blame him for giving us a swerve.
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