Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has confirmed that Dion Charles is unlikely to feature in the upcoming matches against Salford City, Port Vale and Morecambe.

The Northern Ireland international missed Saturday’s 3-0 win against Wycombe due to a thigh strain.

But Evatt is optimistic that Charles will be back available for next weekend’s clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

The Bolton chief is expecting a “tough game” against Salford in the opening round of the Carabao Cup tomorrow night.

He said: “(It is) a good game for us, a tough game. I have watched a fair bit of them over the weekend.

“Some nice patterns, an in-possession team. They have got some good players and they look like they are well coached, so I think it will be a good challenge, a good test.

“Every game has a different challenge. We have done a lot of work on Salford. We will have a look at what we feel are their strengths and weaknesses and then pick a team accordingly.

“We have got a fantastic squad of players with very little drop off, so as I said we will look at it and pick a team that we think is capable of winning the game.”

Evatt’s men have made a positive start to the new campaign, picking up four points from tough fixtures on paper against Ipswich and Wycombe.

He added: “I think they are pleased with the way they played on Saturday. I think it was a good win but, they also understand that it was only one win and they are hungry for more.

“We want to get off to a good start. It has been a steady start, with two tough games and four points in the bank.

“But we have got lots of hard work to do. I still think there are improvements to come.

“Lots of things were good on Saturday but also some things not so good, so we will continue to work hard and see where that takes us.”

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