DEAN Holdsworth wants Wanderers to shape up or ship out this summer.

Though the managerial situation remains up in the air at the Macron, whoever does get the nod from the co-ownership will be tasked with making his team the fittest in League One.

This summer is likely to bring wholesale changes in the playing squad as the wage bill is brought under control. But Holdsworth has already laid down a challenge to the players who report back for duty.

“I want to be the fittest team in the division, with and without the ball,” he told The Bolton News. “I want us to be the hardest-working group out of the whole lot.

“We’ll be testing them at the end of the season, then again in pre-season, and I want those statistics to show me that the players are ready to roll up their sleeves and show me we can compete at the top of the division.”

The Whites will carry 15 professionals forward from this season’s disastrous campaign, will take up options on Kaiyne Woolery and Rob Holding and could offer new deals to some of the younger players.

But the squad has been warned there will be no “pay-offs” for those wishing to leave the club who are under contract.

Holdsworth admits it could take 12-15 months before the club has a blank canvass to build again.

“There are several players on good contracts for next season but it’s never as easy to say ‘they are all gone’ because football just doesn’t work like that,” he said. “I can see it being an ever-changing picture over the summer.

“Whatever group of players we have next season will need to be prepared properly for what is ahead of them.

“Can they cope with League One and the challenges it brings? I am hoping that question will be answered by the players.

“Some of them will want to leave, that’s quite natural, some will be wanted by other clubs. There are big decisions for everyone to make.

“But we want to build a team our fans can be proud of, so it’s time for everyone to roll up their sleeves and work hard.”

Holdsworth has also vowed to change a “losing mentality” which has built up over a long period of time at the Macron.

“I want to surround the players with people who have winning experience,” he said. “Winning behaviour doesn’t just appear on a Saturday afternoon when you walk into the dressing room, it’s ingrained by what you do in midweek.

“Championship winning teams set high standards, and that is what I want.”