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NEIL Lennon is backing Josh Vela to shine again next season and wants to deploy the youngster in his natural midfield role.
The 21-year-old scooped The Bolton News Player of the Year award after some impressive displays last season but most of his outings were as a makeshift right-back.
Lennon is keen to draft in a more natural defender to fill that role with experienced former Newcastle man Ryan Taylor the latest name to be linked with the Whites.
And if he succeeds in finding a solution to his full-back quandary, it would release Vela to operate further upfield where he enjoys it best.
Naturally, Lennon would also relish that chance to utilise Vela where he can be more creative.
The Whites boss said: "He had to play in an unfamiliar position for long periods of the season but he coped with that very well and he was a real plus for us at that stage.
"We played him at Liverpool in midfield and then at Sheffield Wednesday and you could see him start to really blossom.
"As with all young players there is going to inconsistency and he had a couple of games where he was below-par but that’s understandable
"I think overall he can be really pleased with his first real season in competitive football."
Like fellow youngsters Zach Clough and Tom Walker, Vela thrived under Lennon after the Northern Irishman gave him the regular football he had craved but failed to achieve during former boss Dougie Freedman's tenure and he made 32 appearances last season.
And his current boss says the Salfordian's ability became apparent soon after he took up his post last October.
Lennon told the club: "Josh Vela caught my eye more or less straight away.
"What I liked about Josh was that athletically he is very good – he can get around the pitch.
"He is composed on the ball and didn’t look out of place.
"I felt that this kid should be there or thereabouts.
"When I first came in I watched him in a couple of under-21 games and we could tell he was ready.
"Then he took his opportunity very well."
Where Vela plays next season depends very much on how Lennon's summer transfer business goes once the window opens tomorrow.
If he can bring in the defensive reinforcements he has publicly stated he needs, and the team can avoid the raft of injuries that beset them at the back in the last campaign, the boss will be more content.
He admits the defensive record needs to improve if they are to spend more time at the top end of the Championship table next term.
They only kept one clean sheet in their last nine league matches.
But he does believe the lack of consistency he was able to get in his selection did play its part in that.
Lennon added: "Our defensive record needs to improve.
"It might be down to consistency of team selection.
"At one stage we had four clean sheets in a row when there was a bit of stability there.
"We had injuries to Andy (Lonergan) and lost Adam (Bogdan) for a while.
"Then we had to bring Ben Amos in after losing our two first-choice keepers.
"All that adds up."
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13360570.Lennon_backing_Vela_to_keep_on_improving_next_season/
The 21-year-old scooped The Bolton News Player of the Year award after some impressive displays last season but most of his outings were as a makeshift right-back.
Lennon is keen to draft in a more natural defender to fill that role with experienced former Newcastle man Ryan Taylor the latest name to be linked with the Whites.
And if he succeeds in finding a solution to his full-back quandary, it would release Vela to operate further upfield where he enjoys it best.
Naturally, Lennon would also relish that chance to utilise Vela where he can be more creative.
The Whites boss said: "He had to play in an unfamiliar position for long periods of the season but he coped with that very well and he was a real plus for us at that stage.
"We played him at Liverpool in midfield and then at Sheffield Wednesday and you could see him start to really blossom.
"As with all young players there is going to inconsistency and he had a couple of games where he was below-par but that’s understandable
"I think overall he can be really pleased with his first real season in competitive football."
Like fellow youngsters Zach Clough and Tom Walker, Vela thrived under Lennon after the Northern Irishman gave him the regular football he had craved but failed to achieve during former boss Dougie Freedman's tenure and he made 32 appearances last season.
And his current boss says the Salfordian's ability became apparent soon after he took up his post last October.
Lennon told the club: "Josh Vela caught my eye more or less straight away.
"What I liked about Josh was that athletically he is very good – he can get around the pitch.
"He is composed on the ball and didn’t look out of place.
"I felt that this kid should be there or thereabouts.
"When I first came in I watched him in a couple of under-21 games and we could tell he was ready.
"Then he took his opportunity very well."
Where Vela plays next season depends very much on how Lennon's summer transfer business goes once the window opens tomorrow.
If he can bring in the defensive reinforcements he has publicly stated he needs, and the team can avoid the raft of injuries that beset them at the back in the last campaign, the boss will be more content.
He admits the defensive record needs to improve if they are to spend more time at the top end of the Championship table next term.
They only kept one clean sheet in their last nine league matches.
But he does believe the lack of consistency he was able to get in his selection did play its part in that.
Lennon added: "Our defensive record needs to improve.
"It might be down to consistency of team selection.
"At one stage we had four clean sheets in a row when there was a bit of stability there.
"We had injuries to Andy (Lonergan) and lost Adam (Bogdan) for a while.
"Then we had to bring Ben Amos in after losing our two first-choice keepers.
"All that adds up."
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13360570.Lennon_backing_Vela_to_keep_on_improving_next_season/
