Defender David Wheater has returned to training with Bolton Wanderers, journalist Alan Nixon has reported.

Wheater had left the club following the expiration of his contract at the end of last season as Wanderers were relegated to League One following a dismal campaign on and off the pitch. The club are now set to start the season with a 12 point deduction after entering administration back in May.

Since leaving Bolton earlier in the summer, Wheater has held talks with Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock, and was also linked with a move to newly-promoted League Two outfit Salford City.

Now, however, it seems that the defender is back with Bolton for the time being, although it was recently reported by the Bolton News that the club will not be offering any contracts to free agents until a takeover of the club is completed, meaning it could still be some time until Wheater's future is confirmed one way or another.

As a result of that situation, there are currently just six senior players available to Wanderers manager Phil Parkinson, none of whom are defenders.

Having joined Bolton from Middlesbrough in January 2011, Wheater went onto make 236 appearances in all competitions for Wanderers during his eight and a half years at the club, with the centre back wearing the captain's armband last season.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

With Wanderers seemingly reluctant to make any offers of new contracts until after the takeover is completed, you wonder whether this is purely for fitness purposes or with a view to a potential return further down the line.

Either way, Wheater certainly feels like someone that would be well worth considering for Bolton.

The club are even shorter on defenders than they are in any other positions, and in what could be an incredibly makeshift team that starts the season, the presence of an experienced and reliable head such as Wheater could be invaluable.

Given his long service to the club, this would almost certainly be a popular move among Bolton fans, and you feel that connection would more than tempt Wheater to make a return to the University of Bolton Stadium next season.