Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has offered an update on the absence of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson from his squad in their opening-day fixture with Lincoln City, as reported by The Bolton News.
The Icelandic striker was spotted in the stands after being left out of the squad for Bolton’s 3-0 victory over the Imps yesterday. And Evatt has admitted that the club have chosen to safeguard the striker following the injury he recently returned from. Bodvarsson returned to full training at the end of last week from a minor hamstring injury. However, Evatt opted against starting the striker, choosing Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo as his strikers on the day.
The 31-year-old signed a new deal with Bolton over the summer, following a season which saw him score eight times in 28 games for the club who missed out on promotion through the playoffs. The striker missed the second half of the season, and he has not featured for the side since, picking up an injury in January. And that injury has played a part in Evatt’s decision to safeguard the Icelandic striker, admitting the ten days he has missed play a part in the physical load he needs to catch up on.
Despite his decision to leave Bodvarsson out of his squad on Saturday, the Bolton boss hopes to have the striker available as soon as possible. The 31-year-old will complete a short spell of intensive fitness work with the club before he is included again.
“We took the decision while everyone is fit and healthy to maybe give ourselves an insurance policy and give him some extra time and extra fitness work to get him up to speed with the matchday squad.
“He is still training with the group but he is doing extra from the 10-day period he missed to make sure that he is more robust when he comes back into games.”
Writer’s View
Bolton have a strong squad, and with players like Dan Nlundulu, Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo among their ranks, they can certainly afford to rest players such as Bodvarsson. With that being said, they will need the Icelandic striker’s experience at some point this season, so safeguarding him from any further injury is a smart choice from Evatt.
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