Club captain Ricardo Almeida Santos is back in training ahead of a demanding title matchup with Portsmouth and Derby County, according to head coach Ian Evatt of Bolton Wanderers.
Evatt’s team fought valiantly in the second half to overcome Cambridge United and win 2-1 during the midweek match. At the Abbey Stadium, goals from Paris Maghoma and Carlos Mendes Gomes gave the visitors a hard-fought three points and kept them in the running for the League One championship.
The Trotters have managed to stay within just six points of league leaders Pompey despite some dismal performances thus far in February, including draws against Northampton and Barnsley at home and away against Charlton Athletic. However, they still have two games remaining.
But this month has been especially tough for Bolton, who lost their captain Santos due to a calf injury he suffered during the team’s EFL Trophy penalty shootout loss to Blackpool at the end of January.
Nevertheless, in fairytale fashion, Evatt has confirmed that the 28-year-old is back training with the squad and is in contention to start at Bloomfield Road this weekend as Bolton Wanderers face the Seasiders once more, hoping to get revenge. Speaking to club media, the boss said:
“Rico is back. He’s trained great this week and he was great today. Obviously, it gives everybody a lift because he is such a good player and he’s our captain and leader.
“Again, the others have done really well [in his absence] so we don’t want to risk anything. Rico, when he plays, has to be ready to be Rico and we have to make sure we guard against any chance of re-injury. We’ll make that decision in the next 48 hours but it’s great to have him back.”
Writer’s View
The Portuguese defender has been with Bolton Wanderers since 2020 and has been a constant presence at the back for the club under Evatt. His leadership and quality on the pitch have been sorely and evidently missed this month.
However, his potential return to the team is a massive boost for the promotion hopefuls, particularly as they prepare to hunt down Portsmouth who are sitting pretty at the top of the table. This is great news for Bolton, but not so wonderful for Blackpool.
