Bolton Wanderers have taken centre back Joel Lynch on trial, a report from The Bolton News has revealed.

Lynch has been a free agent since the end of last season when he left Sunderland, having made 21 appearances in all competitions for the club during his sole campaign at The Stadium of Light.

The 33-year-old has since spent time with Charlton and Southend as he searches for a new club, although it now seems as though he has found a possible alternative destination.

According to this latest update, Lynch has now been training with Bolton for the past few days in an attempt to earn a deal, with Wanderers manager Ian Evatt confirming the club have an experienced o trial.

Evatt is said to be confident of having space to add one more defender to his squad, following the departure of George Taft to Scunthorpe on the final day of the January transfer window.

Prior to his spell with Sunderland, Lynch has also played for Brighton, Huddersfield, Nottingham Forest and QPR, making over 400 senior appearances during his career.

As things stand, Bolton are currently 19th in the League Two table, ten points clear of the relegation zone, and nine adrift of the play-off places.

The Verdict

This is certainly an interesting one for Bolton to consider.

Given they seemingly have a space in their squad, it could make sense for them to bring someone in, in order to make sure they do not find themselves unnecessarily short on numbers at any point.

Indeed, given the experience he has had throughout his career, particularly at Championship level, there is a chance that Lynch could be a rather useful asset for Bolton in League Two.

However, the fact it is now nearly a year since he last played a game means there could be a bit of a risk involved in this, since it could take him some time to get up to match fitness and match sharpness.