Bolton Wanderers are 11 points off of the play-offs in League One with seven games remaining in what has been a very encouraging first campaign back in the third tier.

The Trotters' season took a significant upturn in and around the January transfer window with Ian Evatt freshening up the squad.

One player who has been unavailable since due to injury, but put in the hard yards in the first half of the season, is Elias Kachunga.

The former Premier League winger with Huddersfield Town gave an insight into his mindset for the last seven league matches when he spoke The Bolton News.

He said: "I was lucky to have two promotions in my career and it was the same - until the last game you have to believe you can go up if you still have that chance.

"At Huddersfield it was the same.

"We just looked from game to game, nobody was talking about a final or anything.

"It has to be the same here, we win one at a time.

"Even if at the end we don’t get there, we need to win each game and make sure we build for next season stronger."

Kachunga's experience was crucial in some testing times at the back end of 2021, Evatt will be delighted to have him back as an option in the squad before the conclusion of the campaign.

The Verdict

The 29-year-old's contract runs until the end of next season, which means that there is no rush for him to return from injury early to play for his future, it will be interesting to see where he slots into the three at the back system.

The German largely played off of the right flank in the first half of the campaign, and could do again, due to Marlon Fossey's injury, but in a more physically demanding right wing back role that has been filled recently by January addition Kieran Sadlier.

A lot of the focus from here on in could be for Kachunga to demonstrate why he should be at the forefront of Evatt's first team plans for the beginning of next season, where the Trotters could be among the favourites for promotion.