According to Alan Nixon, Bolton Wanderers are allowing winger Ben Marshall to train with the first team squad in a bid to assess whether Keith Hill will be able to offer the 28-year-old a contract with the club for the rest of the season.

Hill's side would welcome any potential reinforcements to their squad, which is attempting to claim enough points to overturn their 12 point deduction and pull off an unlikely escape from relegation to League 2, and a player with Marshall's quality and experience at a higher level could be a real addition to Wanderers' squad.

The 28-year-old, though, will need to prove his fitness before Hill elects to offer him a potential deal, with the winger being without a club since being released by Norwich City following the end of a loan spell with Millwall at the end of last season.

Bolton, have perhaps unsurprisingly considering all the upheaval around the club so far this term, struggled to both create and take opportunities so far this season, although that has improved somewhat since Wanderers made nine additions on transfer deadline, but they have still scored just two league goals.

That is something that Hill will need to address as the season progresses and his new players begin to gel, and adding a player with Marshall's ability in the final third could well help Wanderers improve in front of goal enough to start picking up some wins.

The Verdict

The fact that Marshall is being allowed to train with Hill's squad suggests that the former Rochdale manager is seriously considering offering the winger a deal with Bolton, and it will now be up to the 28-year-old to prove that he is fit enough and able enough to come in and make a difference to Bolton's first team.

Marshall is a player that has at times lacked consistency, but he has shown in glimpses in spells with the likes of Millwall, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers that he is able to provide added quality in terms of his ability to beat his full-back and get his team up the pitch, as well as provide some good ammunition to his side's forwards.

This offers Marshall a lifeline and he should be highly motivated to make an impression and help Bolton progress under Hill's guidance, if Wanderers can have a player like the winger with a real drive to prove himself again then that will only benefit their hopes of improving as the season progresses.