WANDERERS will go into their final pre-season friendly against Blackburn Rovers knowing places are still up for grabs in Ian Evatt’s starting line-up in League One.

The Bolton boss has already expressed his concern that self-isolations and minor injuries have left some of his key players without the game time he would have liked at this stage of the summer.

But as the UniBol prepares to open its doors to supporters once again for the final friendly, Evatt insists those not involved against Rovers must not lose heart, with another warm-up game planned against Chester next Wednesday.

“I haven’t picked a team for MK Dons yet and so it isn’t fair to say this player is a reserve or this player is in the first team,” he said. “It is all up for grabs and you have to have that attitude.

“If they are not playing Saturday I understand they will be disappointed but you have to have an attitude whereas you go and play at Chester and fight to get back in the following Saturday.

“That is what I want from my players. There is always a chance to get in the manager’s eye.”

Evatt hopes Rovers will employ a back three, as they did in their previous friendly outing at Leeds United, giving his players some perfect preparation for the visit of MK Dons next weekend.

He refused to make much of the return of Adam Armstrong to the UniBol, however, with Rovers’ sought-after striker now a completely different prospect to the teenager who struggled as a makeshift winger during a loan spell from Newcastle United under Phil Parkinson earlier in his career.

“You will always come up against highly-regarded players when you play Premier League or Championship opposition, people with reputations. But they count for nothing when you run out there,” Evatt said.

“We don’t want our players to be fearful. I want them to embrace the game and do their jobs, worrying about what they are doing rather than the opposition.”

Though progress has been difficult to monitor during an unbeaten pre-season, the Wanderers boss says he has been especially pleased with the performances his younger players have offered.

Asked which of his squad have impressed the most, he added: “The young ones. I have been really impressed with Luke Hutchinson in goal, I think he’s going to be a huge asset to this football club.

“I think he has to keep his feet on the ground. I think he has to work hard and stay humble. But I think he has a real opportunity and I think we saw on Tuesday night what he is capable of. He’s a modern keeper who can play out and he is good with his feet, he’s very athletic as well.

“Adam Senior is developing all the time. He is taking things on board, he is learning and he’s a fantastic kid. Similar to George Thomason he is a real throwback who wants to train and be the best at everything he does, lives and breathes football.

“Ronan (Darcy) has done great as well. He’s physically improving, he is picking up the tactical aspects of the game well, his out of possession stuff has improved, so I am really pleased with him.”