ZACH Clough says his future lies with Wanderers in League One, unless told otherwise.

Though the prized striker may well find his loyalty tested in the summer, he says his immediate focus remains fixed on pulling on a Whites shirt again next season.

Clough remains one of Wanderers’ biggest assets in the transfer market and is contracted until 2019. Clubs have continued to monitor his progress but the 21-year-old is not contemplating change at this moment in time.

“I don’t know what will happen if a bid comes in and the club accepts it,” he told The Bolton News. “Then I will have to make a decision but at this moment there have been no bids and I am still a Bolton player and I want to be here in League One and play for Bolton.”

The prospect of playing in a squad packed with fellow academy graduates, many of whom he has played with since junior level, is another draw for Clough.

“We have been a good team and not lost too many games together,” he said. “It is an incentive to all stick together. We have never played in League One so we are not sure what it is going to be like. Pitches might not be as good but we will have to get used to it.”

Clough had the opportunity to join Bristol City in January, with a £2million bid looking at the time like it would ease the club’s financial woes. He turned the move to Ashton Gate down, however, and does not look back in anger.

“No, when you make a decision you should never regret it,” he said. “Bristol is a good club and the press over it got out of hand. It was a good opportunity but at the time I didn’t feel it was right to do.”

Clough’s seventh goal of the season was not enough to prevent Wanderers from slipping to a record-equalling 25th defeat of the season at Cardiff.

Although he will almost certainly finish the campaign as the club’s top scorer there has been little to celebrate for the club, or the player himself.

“This game summed up the whole season,” he said of the last-minute penalty which clinched three points for Cardiff. “There have been about 10 games the same, especially against Burnley and Preston. It’s been hard to take.

“It’s been difficult. As a younger player we haven’t had as much stick as the older ones. They give us more leeway. But it has been tough.

“There have been ups and downs but on the whole it has been a disappointing year.”