Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt spoke very highly of Manchester United youngster Shola Shoretir.
The 18-year-old Shoretir will spend the second half of the season on loan at the first league club, completing the transfer on Thursday.
This is the first time the young man has spent outside the club since he signed a contract with the club in 2014. In 2018, at the age of 14 years and 10 months, he became the youngest Manchester United player to play in an official UEFA Youth League match.
Having signed a professional contract a week after his 17th birthday, Shoretir played five matches for the first team.
Now, two weeks before his 19th birthday, a promising player from Newcastle is constantly looking for valuable competitive experience.
Shoretir was awarded the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year Award for his performances in the 2020/21 season.
Evatt, who took charge of Bolton in 2020, has been recognized for his attacking philosophy.
Before leading Bolton to promotion to League One in 2021, Evatt managed Barrow, who was aptly nicknamed “Barrowlona” due to the team’s new style of play.
Speaking to The Bolton News about the reasons why he signed with Shoretire, Evatt detailed:
“I am certainly very happy to work with him, we have studied him thoroughly to understand what we think he can bring to the team.
“He’s been in the United first team since he was a very, very young man. They value him highly, and he is super talented.
“It is very rare to see a player of his age with such a game intelligence as he has, playing 360 degrees. And by this I mean to occupy certain areas of the field, to be able to turn around and beat the opponent, to be able to take on the move when he has time and space, because he can scan the field and knows where he is.
“He adds qualities […], he can make people nervous.
“He has a first-class attitude. We met with him, we met with his father, we met with Manchester United — and not only with the academy and the loan manager, but also with some of the hierarchy. It shows you where they think he is and how much they value him.”
Bolton currently sit 5th in the Ligue 1 table with 20 matches remaining.
