As his side prepared to face Bolton tonight at the Reebok Stadium, he said: “What we are trying to do is improve the squad in January. We have done that in every window.

“I don’t think there is going to be so much movement this January. There is going to be very small business. All teams will try to make minor improvements to the squad if they can.”

Despite the ongoing financial backing of owner Dave Whelan, Martinez knows he cannot compete at the top end of the market.

Instead he takes pleasure from bringing the kids through and recruiting as far afield as central and southern America.

He said: “You need to be creative enough to find young talent, players who have not reached their full potential, like James McCarthy, Victor Moses, James McArthur, Mohamed Diame.

“They are players who are going to be playing at the highest level of world football but we need to give them the opportunity to develop.

“We look in South American markets and countries like Holland and Scotland. It’s a great mixture of cultures and football talent that brings you to the same aim, winning games for Wigan.

“It becomes quite a fascinating challenge. The fans really makes the players feel at home and they really enjoy playing for the club.”

Wigan have chalked up just one win in seven league games and are involved in the relegation mix.

However Martinez does not believe that statistic paints a true picture of how his side are shaping up.

The defeat by Newcastle on Sunday came after a thrilling draw against Arsenal and a win at Wolves.

Martinez said: “To avoid relegation you have six, seven teams involved. It will come down to very small details. After the performance against Wolves and Arsenal we were starting to reach a very good level.

“While Sunday was a disappointment, the result should not cloud the good work we have doing. We are a lot stronger now than we were two months ago.”