After being out in the cold for much of the season, the former Socceroo took advantage of injury and suspensions to others recently and impressed manager Steve Bruce with his performances.

Whether it is enough to earn him a fresh deal at the JJB Stadium remains to be seen but the Wigan boss has dropped a hint that staying up could well be the key to a new deal for the Melburnian.

Bruce is sitting down with the player’s agent this week but a final decision on whether or not to offer a new deal will probably have to wait until Wigan’s fate is known.

The Latics are currently five points clear of the drop zone with three games remaining. The odds appear to be in their favour with several teams below them but Bruce is taking nothing for granted.

The Wigan manager said: “I’m meeting with Skoko’s representatives in the next week or so. If we stay up, it makes things a lot easier.”

Bruce recently hailed Skoko’s performances since coming back into the team as ‘terrific’.

Meanwhile, Bruce has revealed that Julius Aghahowa and Salomon Olembe will definitely not be at the JJB next season with both players on the verge of signing for clubs in Turkey.

Neither player has been able to make a real impact for the Latics since joining the club.