NEIL Lennon is backing new boy Wellington Silva to hit the ground running at Wanderers.

The Arsenal loanee will be thrown in for his debut against Nottingham Forest at the Macron Stadium this afternoon in what will be his first real taste of English football.

And Lennon has no fears the Brazilian can add some much-needed flair and pace to a side that sits bottom of the Championship at start of play.

“Arsenal know how good he is,” said the Wanderers boss. “He may not be ready for what they perceive as their first team just yet, they think he needs a bit more game time elsewhere.

“But looking at him though, he is a natural footballer and he will get to grips with things pretty quickly.

“He knows the tempo of the game may be different (in the Championship) and the physical side of the game might be difficult. But La Liga is a pretty robust league and he does take some hits. He does look slight but he is deceptively strong.

“His English isn’t great but it is coming on. He will have a Bolton accent by October.”

Lennon believes Wellington is a different prospect to his last Latin loan signing, Rochinha, who faded after an impressive start at Bolton.

“He is more experienced than Rochinha and the fact he has played in La Liga counts for a lot,” he said. “He would be ahead in terms of development and maturity. He is ready to play.”

One keen observer of Wellington’s debut will be Arsene Wenger, who lavished some effusive praise on the youngster as he signed for the Whites on Thursday evening.

The Gunners boss has waited patiently as the Brazil-born striker gained an EU passport with five loan spells in Spain and believes his player can be the difference maker for whom Neil Lennon has been searching.

“He's a creative, tricky, quick player," said the Frenchman. “He's absolutely stunning to watch and I believe Bolton will be surprised by his quality.

“I believe he will do extremely well because he has gained a lot of experience in Spain, he has come back to England and I am confident he will have a big impact in the Championship.”

Wanderers are offering discounted tickets for today’s game, which marks the return of former boss Dougie Freedman and skipper Matt Mills. Entry for adults is £15 and concessions £5.