Why Bolton Wanderers' Dapo Afolayan cannot be 'nailed down' to a specific position

The versatile attacker has been used on the left flank in the recent comebacks against Accrington and Burton.

But ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Oxford, Evatt explained why Afolayan’s role is complex and says he is more focused on getting the former West Ham man into positions where he can affect the opposition.

“Our idea is not wing-back, left wide forward,” said the Bolton boss. “Our idea is to get Dapo the ball in that area and be one-v-one against full-backs and defenders.

“How that looks, we cannot set in a 3-5-2. We can move to a 4-3-3.

“Everybody knows what Dapo’s strengths are and we are just trying to get him on the ball in the positions where he can make those strengths count against the opposition.

“That is what we are trying to do. It doesn’t mean to say we are nailing him down as a wing-back or this or that.”

The 25-year-old finished last season as Wanderers’ top scorer, finding the net 14 times in all competitions.

He has scored three goals so far this term, including the crucial winner against Accrington last weekend.

Evatt was encouraged by the areas Afolayan got into against Burton on Tuesday night and hopes he can continue to make an impact in the final third.

He added: “For the chance that he got first half, he was in that moment and that position to take that opportunity, which was really pleasing.

“We have got so many players now who give us different characteristics for the team. Different personnel, different strengths, different weaknesses.

“Then it is about finding the right balance against the opposition we come up against.

“The good thing is that if things aren’t working, we have also got a really strong bench to be able to change it and go on to win games. That has been evident the last two games.”

You can follow the Bolton News on social media by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Gain unlimited access to the Bolton News website with a premium digital subscription