WANDERERS boss Ian Evatt hopes Xav Amaechi’s return to the side will provide healthy competition in attack.

Amaechi – who is on loan from Hamburg - has made two appearances off the bench after recovering from a fractured metatarsal which he suffered in a pre-season friendly against Preston.

Evatt insists the former Arsenal youngster can play on either flank and down the middle in the Whites’ system.

The Bolton boss admits it will take time for Amaechi to get back up to speed after a lengthy spell on the sidelines but hopes having an extra attacking option will benefit the squad.

“We need competition everywhere, there’s no doubt about that. Xav can play anywhere in those front three positions,” he said.

“As I said, he’s a really talented player but we have to have patience. He’s been out a long, long time.

“He’s come back fitter than he was before he got injured because of his attitude to rehab, but you can’t replicate football fitness and match sharpness – you need minutes on the pitch to do that and Xav is having to gain that on the job.

“(Against Stockport) he came on for a length of time but again, because of the speed of the game, he wasn’t quite where he needs to be. But that will improve with time on the pitch.

“I have no doubt that he’s going to be a fantastic player for us, we’ve just been unfortunate that we’ve missed him for so long.”

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