Deadline day: Liverpool youngster Sheyi Ojo joins Wigan Athletic on loan until end of season

Liverpool youngster Sheyi Ojo has joined Wigan Athletic on loan until the end of the season.

The 17-year-old winger has impressed the Liverpool hierarchy following his arrival from MK Dons in 2011 and has been tipped to follow Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe into the Reds' first-team squad.

Ojo was linked with a move to League Two side Shrewsbury Town as recently as last week before Liverpool Under-21 boss Michael Beale revealed that clubs much further up the Football League were interested in his services.

Liverpool have confirmed the teenager will now get his taste of first team action for the Latics as they bid to avoid relegation from England's second tier.

Wigan boss Malky Mackay was delighted to secure the youngster's signature in the short-term but revealed that Brendan Rodgers has every intention of making Ojo a member of his first team next season.

He told the club's official website: "I spoke to Brendan Rodgers at length about Sheyi and we both agreed that this is the next stage of his development.

"Brendan sees him as a Liverpool player of the future and will take him into his squad in the summer. We both hope that his time at Wigan Athletic can be a productive one for both parties.

"I have watched him and was excited by what I saw in terms of his pace, touch and awareness. Now it's a question of integrating him with our squad and managing his progress carefully."

Ojo is yet to appear for the Liverpool first team but was included in the match day squad against Burnley in December.

Liverpool will be hoping Ojo's development in the Championship follows the same trajectory of Jordon Ibe's.

The 19-year-old winger was recalled to Anfield earlier this month after an impressive first half of the season with Steve McClaren's side where he contributed five goals from 24 appearances in the club's push for promotion to the Premier League.