Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt warns of Covid effect on star striker Eoin Doyle

IAN Evatt admits the lasting effects of Covid are taking a toll on his squad on the eve of the new season â€" including key striker, Eoin Doyle.

Wanderers have seen several players miss chunks of pre-season because of self-isolation, although the vast majority of absences are thought to have been through close contacts.

Evatt has revealed the debilitating impact the virus has had on last season’s top scorer Doyle, however, after he made a playing return off the bench against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

The Irishman has struggled to train at full strength for long spells of the summer and though he has now been given the thumbs up to return, Evatt does not expect him to be firing on all cylinders for a few weeks.

“He has had a really tough pre-season and sometimes even when you are physically over your illness, it can cloud your mind, become fuzzy, so your decision making can be put off,” he told The Bolton News.

“When the ball has been fired into him, everyone could see how quick the (Blackburn) game was, your body can’t quite react as quickly as your brain wants it to, and vice versa.

“It is going to take time for him to get back up to full speed and a bit of patience from everyone.

“He has suffered from more than one illness this summer so we are delighted we have got him back in one piece and I’m sure from here on in he will only improve.”

Yesterday saw a return to the training ground for Ricardo Santos, who after missing the game against Barrow with a foot injury has also absent because of self-isolation, and midfielder Kieran Lee.

Matt Gilks has also had to contend with the effects of the virus, which means Joel Dixon is likely to start this weekend’s opener against MK Dons in goal.

Doyle’s struggles also means Amadou Bakayoko looks likely to make his debut up front.

Evatt concedes that there is an unknown quantity about those who have had the virus and how well they will fare when they return to Lostock â€" but the Bolton boss is confident he has enough options to cope.

“It affects everybody differently and obviously being the wrong side of 30 it’ll probably affect him (Doyle) more fitness-wise than it would a younger player like George Johnston for instance, who is 22,” the manager explained.

“What I will say is the double vaccinated ones seem to be getting fewer symptoms than the others, but still until you start physically training again, you don’t know what affect it has actually had on your body, so some people are taking longer than others.

“It is the same for every club, and I am not going to sit here and make excuses. We have got a fantastic squad I am really proud of, and we have competed in every game in pre-season so far. Now it’s the real thing and we’ll get going for Saturday.”

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