London - Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce stressed on Thursday his determination to retain his star players in the January transfer window.

England striker Emile Heskey has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, while Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia has attracted a number of admiring glances.

"We are building the nucleus of a very good team here, and the last thing I want to do is dismantle it," Bruce told Wigan Today.

"The big clubs are circling around us and they are at our games every week because our young players are terrific prospects.

"My biggest job of the lot is keeping hold of them and I'll be fighting very hard to do that next month.

"I'm convinced we are on the verge of building a very good team and it is complimentary and flattering other teams are interested in my players.

"But it is also very frustrating because I don't want to lose any of them - I want to keep my best players." (dpa)