Bolton Wanderers are due to host several trial fixtures in the coming weeks to add prospects from top Premier League sides to their soon to be established B team.
Wanderers have chosen to develop their pathway to the first team and build upon the reserves they have adopted this season.
This team has competed in the EFL's Central League and been run by first-team coach Sam Hird, giving younger players a competitive division to play in and allow first-team players some minutes as they make returns from injury.
READ MORE: Why Bolton Wanderers were not tempted to rush Josh Sheehan back as exciting verdict given
But this will be developed for next season at the gap between the youth groups at Wanderers and the first-team. Wanderers have opted to go down the B team route, which the likes of Brentford, Huddersfield Town and Southampton have all gone down and not an under-23s set-up at this moment in time.
A B team manager is also set to be appointed as work progresses on the new set-up and, to help add bodies to swell the ranks of the new side, several trial fixtures will be held, Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has said.
One is poised to take place next week with others occuring after the end of the season, with players released by Category One academies including the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and other big teams in London being given a chance to impress at Bolton.
And Evatt believes it is an exciting prospect what is happening behind the scenes as the League One side aim to rebuild a bridge to the first team which has not existed in the same way since the club's under-23s outfit was discontinued in 2020 as part of an overhaul of the academy.
Evatt told the Manchester Evening News: "We have arranged a host of trial fixtures for players being released by big Category One teams – Chelsea, Man City, Man United, Liverpool, all the big London clubs – to see if there is anyone who takes our fancy and if we can cherry-pick some of those and get them into that B team squad.
"Obviously, we are down the line recruiting the B team manager so there are lots of things happening. It is exciting really.
"There are some (trials) after the end of the season. There is one next week. You guys (the media) won’t be allowed in but I will let you know how it goes! There are things happening all the time."
