Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt joked veteran midfielder Kieran Lee is dubbed the 'drifter' by the Whites coaching team owing to his natural abilities and believes it is great for the club's younger players to learn off of him.
The 34-year-old played a big part in the weekend victory over Charlton Athletic. He was on the scoresheet along with Conor Bradley and George Johnston as Wanderers came from behind to claim a 3-1 victory.
The midfielder came through the youth team ranks at Manchester United and spent nearly a decade at Sheffield Wednesday before arriving at Bolton last January. He brings a huge degree of quality and experience to the Wanderers squad.
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Evatt hailed the midfielder's understanding of the game and how to play for Wanderers in their high pressing strategy. He believes he is a fantastic reference for the likes of Aaron Morley and George Thomason to learn from.
Evatt said: "We do have to coach him, he doesn’t just go out and wing it! But he gets it. His understanding of the game, his understanding of pressure, when to press, how to press, when to slide and block, passing lanes, is incredible.
“We have a joke in the coaches office that I’ve called him the drifter because he’s just constantly on the move, he’s always drifting off the back of people, drifting into the box and in space. He just does it so naturally and as I’ve said before, for our young midfield players, it’s great for them to learn off him and watch.”
Wanderers have a near fully fit squad to choose from now with Josh Sheehan and Lloyd Isgrove returning from long-term injuries, plus summer signing Eoin Toal getting up to speed with life at Wanderers and how to play for the club. Evatt is aware of the challenges he faces in trying to manage the squad and is unsure if all can be kept happy, but he wants the players to continue to be supportive of one another.
He said: “It’s really hard. It’s not just midfield, it’s everywhere. Will Aimson has been fantastic as well when he’s played, Kieran Sadlier’s been great when he’s played. We’ve got Kacha (Elias Kachungaa) who has done well this season, Dapo (Afolayan) on the bench, Baka (Amadou Bakayoko), they’ve all had to take their turns and ride it out.
“Declan John, Josh Sheehan coming back, Eoin Toal nearly there, Izzy (Lloyd Isgrove), the list goes on and on and on and that’s going to be my biggest challenge this season is trying to keep everybody onside and onboard. I just don’t think it’s possible to keep them all happy but what I’ve said to them is take your frustrations out on me and leave them in my office and at my door.
“With each other they need to be ultra supportive, be a good person and a good team mate and if they do that then we have a right chance. If they don’t then things can go wrong pretty quickly.”
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