Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan has admitted that he is prepared to sack manager Roberto Martinez, but hopes that he will not be forced to.

The North West side have had a dismal season and are expected to drop into the Championship at the end of the campaign as they continue to linger in the relegation zone of the Premier League table.

"Sometimes you see a case like Wolverhampton Wanderers, who sack the manager," Whelan told BBC Sport. "You wonder why you would do that because you've got to trust managers to a greater degree than owners of football clubs seem to put in them.

"Sometimes there's got to be a sacking and that's for sure and I've sacked two or three managers. With Roberto we have a bond. I respect him enormously and he respects me.

"I think he regards me something like his father and I regard him as being a son in a lot of ways. [But] if the time came when I thought Roberto has to be sacked, I would sack him but hopefully that time will never come."

The Latics travel to Anfield this weekend for a Saturday fixture against Liverpool.