Wigan striker Arouna Kone says that African Cup of Nations improved his fitness

Arouna Kone: Has scored ten goals for Wigan this season

Wigan Athletic striker Arouna Kone believes that the Africa Cup of Nations has helped to improve his fitness.

Kone, who joined Wigan from Levante last summer in a £3million deal, has scored ten goals for the Latics this season.

He represented Ivory Coast in South Africa earlier this year and could have been forgiven for feeling a little jaded.

However, the forward revealed that he worked alongside the coaches at the DW Stadium to create a fitness schedule that would ensure that he kept in shape to assist the club's battle against relegation.

"Even though I was in South Africa representing my country, which made me very proud, I did not forget Wigan and the relegation battle," Kone told the Daily Mirror.

"I spoke to the manager before I went and the club devised a fitness programme for me.

"After each training session, I would go into the gym to keep my fitness levels high.

"I only played one 90 minutes against Algeria in a group game, so that I was not tired when I came back, like a lot of the other players."