Ian Evatt hopes that Josh Sheehan can in time become a 'pivotal player' for Bolton Wanderers in time but urged patience with the midfielder to get back to his best after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The 27-year-old has returned to action recently after being out for much of last season with a ruptured ACL which ended his campaign prematurely. He turned out 20 times in all competitions last season following his move from Newport County, scoring four goals.
The Wales international has played five times so far this campaign for Wanderers in both League One and in the Papa Johns Trophy. His last start came in the 3-1 loss at the end of October to Oxford United.
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Evatt hopes the midfielder can in time become a big player for the Whites in time, with Bolton in no doubt of his ability. But the Bolton boss urged caution with Sheehan due to his recent return to action.
He said: “We hope he can in time become a pivotal player for us. We think he’s a really good player, we think he’s really talented.
“It was a difficult game to be thrown into against Oxford, but we felt he was ready. Did he perform as well as he’d like? Probably not, but we’ve got to cut him some slack. He’s been out a long time and the way this team has evolved, even since he’s joined the club and how much improvement there’s been, it’s been huge.
“We need to give him some time, he was out for a long time, we’ve still got lots of games left and he’ll be a key player in some of those games, no doubt about that.”
Wanderers have several young players in their ranks this campaign, with midfielders George Thomason and Aaron Morley in the engine room. Manchester City and Liverpool youngsters James Trafford and Conor Bradley are also at the club on loan.
Thomason had forced his way into the starting team and kept hold of his place, before undergoing a dip in form. But Evatt believes the young players in particular at the club must be supported as they grow into their careers and cut some slack if they have an off day.
He added: “He did that for four or five games, was exceptional, but then had a dip, but we must remember Aaron Morley and George Thomason are 21-years-old, Conor Bradley is 19, James Trafford has just turned 20. We’ve got some young players as well that are going to have dips, so they need everybody’s support.
"They need my support first and foremost, but they need the football club and the fans’ support on a wider scale to keep them going because making your way and being consistent as a young football player is really tough and challenging at times so we’ll cut them a bit of slack when they don’t do so well and make sure we support them but we know what we’ve got.
“I think we’ve got some very good players and those four or five that I mentioned there are certainly some of those.”
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