THREE of Bolton Wanderers’ brightest young talents have been told to hit the road after picking up another ‘L’.

It has been a tough year for the club, who looked to be on the road to liquidation in August before a last-minute takeover by the Football Ventures consortium, which steered things back in the right direction.

And three of Wanderers’ 17-year-olds, Sonny Graham, Kwame Osigwe and Markus Assarsson, are looking for one of the most important passes of their life, all thanks to the Bill Plant Driving School.

The trio have been given up to 30 hours of free driving lessons to ensure they don’t miss training. Graham, who made his first team debut this season, hails from Morecambe but is currently living with a host family in Bolton. Along with Osigwe, he relies upon public transport to get to the club’s Lostock academy training ground every day.

Assarsson recently arrived from Sweden and has just been given international clearance. He is hoping the chance to drive his own car will allow him to explore the UK and make it feel more like home.

Wanderers have had to rely heavily on their youth players this season, naming the youngest side in the club’s history against Coventry City in August, with an average age of just 19.

Wanderers’ head of education, Lee Wood, said: “We had some very testing months, but the club has been saved and this is the perfect time to shine a light on our youth team who are going to carry the club forward.

“It’s a privilege for three of our boys to have been offered these driving lessons and we’re excited to see how they come on and celebrate their milestones with them.

“Learning to drive is going to be fantastic for their personal growth away from football, allow them to pursue their football career and gain a key life skill too.”

The players will begin their lessons this month, and Peter Brabin – the head of training at Bill Plant Driving School – said the offer was just rewards for the youngsters’ hard work in testing times.

“We are big football fans at Bill Plant Driving School and fully understand the impact football clubs have on their community,” he said.

“We’ve taught thousands of people how to drive in Bolton with our local-based driving Instructors, so we are delighted to help some of the young players at Bolton Wanderers Football Club, who have been a true credit to the town.

“We wish Sonny, Kwame and Markus all the best with their football and look forward to hearing about their driving ability from our driving instructors”.

You can see how the trio get on at Bill Plant Driving School's website.