Liam Bridcutt was one of nine players on join Bolton Wanderers on a hectic transfer deadline day for the club last month.

The 30-year-old joined Bolton on loan from Nottingham Forest until the end of the season and has been one of the standout players for Wanderers so far.

However, the experienced midfielder is set to face a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a fractured collarbone during Monday night's goalless draw with Blackpool, and it is thought that he could be out of action for up to two months.

In the latest FLW Spotlight, we assess just how much of a blow this is for Bolton, by taking a closer look at Bridcutt's stats for Wanderers so far this season...

Bridcutt has been an extremely important player for Bolton since he joined the club and has made six appearances for Wanderers in all competitions so far, playing 517 minutes in total.

The defensive midfielder is yet to score a goal or register an assist, he hasn't even attempted a single shot on goal, but his contribution to the team should not be overlooked.

He provides Wanderers with some extra intensity and tenacity in midfield and his defensive contribution is key.

His passing stats are very impressive and this is one aspect of his game that you imagine he'll be very pleased with so far this season. Bridcutt has made a total of 332 passes, with a pass accuracy of 78.6%.

This alone suggests that he rarely gives the ball away, but if we take a look at his passing stats in more detail, it highlights just how important he is to the way that Bolton play.

He's made 75 passes to the final third of the pitch, with a pass accuracy of 53.3%. He makes an average of 13.06 passes to the final third per game, which considering he is more of a defensive midfield player is very impressive.

Eight of his 14 attempted dribbles have been successful, which is also rather impressive.

There's a lot more to Bridcutt's game than just his passing and dribbling though and you only have to look at how Bolton's defensive record has improved since he joined the club to understand just how much of an important role he plays.

With the exception of the 6-1 defeat to Rotherham United, Bolton have conceded just four goals since Bridcutt joined the club and have kept two clean sheets, having kept just one all season before he arrived at the club.

He does an excellent job protecting the back four and he certainly isn't afraid to get stuck in on the pitch. Briductt is involved in an average of 12.53 defensive duels every game and has won 61.1% of the 72 defensive duels he's been involved in so far.

He's not the tallest player, but he's still managed to win 50% of his 18 aerial duels. He's also made 32 interceptions, 8 clearances and has won two of his attempted six sliding tackles.

Considering how many challenges he's been involved in, he's only given away 15 fouls in his six appearances so far, but he has been fouled eleven times.

Briductt has been an extremely important player for Bolton so far this season and it looks like he's going to have a very important role to play in their battle for League One survival this season.

He may not offer much in terms of goals and assists, but his importance to the team cannot be underestimated. He's been absolutely key to the recent improvement that Bolton have made defensively and his passing has also been very impressive.

It's not yet clear when he'll be able to return to action but one thing is for sure, he's going to be a big miss for Bolton over the next few matches.

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