Bolton Wanderers have been hit with a frustrating injury blow, as The Bolton News have reported that Liam Edwards has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. 

The 23-year-old suffered a broken kneecap in a collision on the club's training ground on Monday, and is waiting to hear if he requires an operation to address the problem.

Edwards has made seven appearances in total for Bolton's first team, and he'll leave a sizeable void in Keith Hill's side heading towards the conclusion of this year's campaign.

His last appearance for the struggling League One side was against Bristol Rovers in late January, but he has struggled for consistent game time in recent weeks.

Bolton are looking likely that they'll be relegated into League Two this season, as they're currently sat bottom of the third-tier standings and are 20 points adrift of safety.

Edwards was last seen in Bolton's matchday squad in early February, when he was an unused substitute in a 1-1 draw against Tranmere Rovers.

Bolton return to action on Saturday to take on Accrington Stanley, as they look to keep their distant survival hopes alive with a positive result.

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The Verdict: 

It can't get much worse for Bolton can it?

They had numerous off-the-field problems heading into this year's league campaign, and that has clearly hampered their plans in League One this term.

The Trotters are 20 points adrift of safety in the third-tier, and it seems as though it's only going to be a matter of time before they're relegated into League Two.

Keith Hill would have needed as many players available as possible, and Edwards' injury blow will leave the Bolton boss with a shortage of options in defence for the remainder of this year's league campaign.