Bolton Wanderers head coach Ian Evatt has revealed that club captain Ricardo Almeida Santos is back in training ahead of a gruelling title race with Portsmouth and Derby County.
In midweek, Evatt’s men battled hard in the second half to come from behind against Cambridge United to eventually win 2-1. Paris Maghoma and Carlos Mendes Gomes scored at the Abbey Stadium to earn a hard-fought three points for the visitors to keep them in a favourable position for the League One title.
Despite some disappointing results so far in February, including draws at home to Barnsley and Charlton Athletic and away at Northampton, the Trotters have managed to stay within just six points of league leaders Pompey, but with two games in hand.
However, this month has been particularly difficult for Bolton, who were without skipper Santos after the centre-back sustained a calf injury during the team’s penalty shootout defeat in the EFL Trophy against Blackpool at the end of January.
Nevertheless, in fairytale fashion, Evatt has confirmed that the 28-year-old is back training with the squad and is in contention to start at Bloomfield Road this weekend as Bolton Wanderers face the Seasiders once more, hoping to get revenge. Speaking to club media, the boss said:
“Rico is back. He’s trained great this week and he was great today. Obviously, it gives everybody a lift because he is such a good player and he’s our captain and leader.
Ian Evatt confirmed that captain Ricardo Almeida Santos is back in the frame for a potential return this weekend following injury.
The Gaffer also provided broader injury news including an update on Caleb Taylor, who is set for an extended spell out of action.#bwfc
— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) February 22, 2024
“Again, the others have done really well [in his absence] so we don’t want to risk anything. Rico, when he plays, has to be ready to be Rico and we have to make sure we guard against any chance of re-injury. We’ll make that decision in the next 48 hours but it’s great to have him back.”
Writer’s View
The Portuguese defender has been with Bolton Wanderers since 2020 and has been a constant presence at the back for the club under Evatt. His leadership and quality on the pitch have been sorely and evidently missed this month.
However, his potential return to the team is a massive boost for the promotion hopefuls, particularly as they prepare to hunt down Portsmouth who are sitting pretty at the top of the table. This is great news for Bolton, but not so wonderful for Blackpool.
