Antoni Sarcevic has a lot of faith in Oladapo Afolayan, the pair got on the scoresheet in Bolton Wanderers' 2-1 over Shewsbury Town at the weekend and it was the latter's sixth of the season already.

Sarcevic, who has taken the armband at The UniBol this season, believes Afolayan has the ability to play in the Premier League and is keen for the 24-year-old to help Bolton get promoted to the Championship before riding off into the sunset.

Sarcevic told The Bolton News: "I hope he does, but only if he gets us promoted first, cheers thanks for everything Dapo!

"Listen, he’s a good lad and I wish nothing more than for him to see him playing in the Premier League, in however many years. I hope he does because he has got it.

"He is a good lad that’s got confidence in his abilities and if he goes on to have a great career, which I’m 100 per cent sure that he will, it’d be nice to say that I played with him and hopefully he gets us the promotion this year." he added.

The Trotters are firmly cementing the surprise package tag in the early exchanges of the campaign and Afolayan has been a key component of that. No opponent seems to have the answers and if he can sustain the form he has shown so far, Wanderers will be confident of finishing in the top six.

 

 

The Verdict

Afolayan only made one senior appearance in his time at West Ham United, scoring after coming on as a substitute in the FA Cup and spending loan spells with Oldham Athletic and Mansfield Town before finding solace under Ian Evatt at Bolton.

In Scott Twine at Milton Keynes Dons and Afolayan at Bolton, League One is showcasing the talents of two exciting attacking players with the potential to play in the Premier League and it will be interesting to see if the pair are the subject of any interest in January.

Both players' clubs have ambitions of finishing in the top six and Afolayan seems like a player who will grow in confidence as the spotlight on him widens.