LEIGHTON BAINES has been told he must wait for the opportunity to stake his claim for a regular first-team place at Everton.

Baines is likely to once again be on the bench for the Premier League visit to former club Wigan Athletic on Monday night.

The 23-year-old left-back, a £6million arrival from the JJB Stadium last summer, has been limited to just seven starts this season.

Baines has suffered as a consequence of David Moyes reverting to last season’s defensive shape of Phil Jagielka and Joseph Yobo at centre-back and Joleon Lescott at left-back.

With Everton currently on a five-game unbeaten run, the Goodison Park manager is loathe to tinker with a successful combination.

But Moyes has reassured Baines he will ultimately get another chance to impress, and said: “Of course he is disappointed. He came here to play.

“In the bigger picture, when he arrived, we were not envisaging Joleon Lescott being a left-back.

“But Joleon’s form at left-back and central defence, plus Phil Jagielka coming into the team over the last year has made the competition defensively very tough.

“Leighton is doing nothing wrong but I have got to say the boys who are playing in the team at the minute are not doing anything wrong either. They have been quite solid in recent weeks.

“Sometimes you just have to wait for your opportunity and when it comes along, you have got to be prepared to take it. You never know when that might happen in football.”