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Ian Evatt insists Wanderers have not taken an undue ‘gamble’ on offering Kieran Lee a long-term deal at the University of Bolton Stadium.
The 32-year-old midfielder made his debut in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw at Exeter City after a successful three-week trial.
Lee has a history of hip surgeries and his last competitive game was in July last year when he featured for Sheffield Wednesday against Middlesbrough in the Championship.
With that in mind, many expected Wanderers to offer the free agent a short-term contract. But Evatt insists his new signing is fighting fit and sees the fact he is tied to the club for the next 18 months as a bonus.
“Kieran played 30 games in the Championship last season and for us to be able to get a player of that ilk and quality, to get him for 18 months I see that as a bonus, a positive and not a negative,” he told The Bolton News.
“He trained for three weeks and hadn’t been in the treatment room once. Obviously we have been ultra-diligent with our medical checks and he was scanned head to toe.
“The quote from the medical officer who did the report was that ‘he’s in exceptional condition for a 32-year-old’ and that there were no real signs of wear and tear.
“He has had work on his hip in previous years but there was no sign of damage. You wouldn’t know he had anything done.
“We think he’s in a great place and we have done every check we can to ensure he’s right.”
Evatt hopes Lee can forge the same relationship with the Bolton fans as he did at Hillsborough, where he became a terrace favourite in eight-and-a-half years and 215 appearances for the club.
The Wanderers boss feels his new addition will give him different tactical options in midfield, not to mention leadership – which has been a quality lacking at times this season. “Kieran brings experience and he’s very reliable with the ball,” he said.
“He brings final third quality and legs to the team – and that might seem strange for a 32-year-old but if you look at his data he is running more than 12k a game, which is Championship/Premier League standard, and what we want from our midfield players.
“He is another calm head, someone who has been there and done it. And he will bring that quality to us and give us a different option.”
Lee impressed on the ball on Tuesday night, playing for more than an hour before being replaced by Ali Crawford.
Heavy conditions at St James Park made it a real physical test for the midfielder, and Evatt was pleased with his first outing for the club.
“He’s going to be a big part of what we do, going forwards.
“His fitness levels are in general really good, but until you get on a pitch and on a testing heavy pitch, you really find out where you’re at and he was blowing at half-time.
But I was really pleased with some of the things I saw in the first half. I think he’s intelligent, he’s got real quality and he’s going to add experience and a good characteristic to the squad.”
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The 32-year-old midfielder made his debut in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw at Exeter City after a successful three-week trial.
Lee has a history of hip surgeries and his last competitive game was in July last year when he featured for Sheffield Wednesday against Middlesbrough in the Championship.
With that in mind, many expected Wanderers to offer the free agent a short-term contract. But Evatt insists his new signing is fighting fit and sees the fact he is tied to the club for the next 18 months as a bonus.
“Kieran played 30 games in the Championship last season and for us to be able to get a player of that ilk and quality, to get him for 18 months I see that as a bonus, a positive and not a negative,” he told The Bolton News.
“He trained for three weeks and hadn’t been in the treatment room once. Obviously we have been ultra-diligent with our medical checks and he was scanned head to toe.
“The quote from the medical officer who did the report was that ‘he’s in exceptional condition for a 32-year-old’ and that there were no real signs of wear and tear.
“He has had work on his hip in previous years but there was no sign of damage. You wouldn’t know he had anything done.
“We think he’s in a great place and we have done every check we can to ensure he’s right.”
Evatt hopes Lee can forge the same relationship with the Bolton fans as he did at Hillsborough, where he became a terrace favourite in eight-and-a-half years and 215 appearances for the club.
The Wanderers boss feels his new addition will give him different tactical options in midfield, not to mention leadership – which has been a quality lacking at times this season. “Kieran brings experience and he’s very reliable with the ball,” he said.
“He brings final third quality and legs to the team – and that might seem strange for a 32-year-old but if you look at his data he is running more than 12k a game, which is Championship/Premier League standard, and what we want from our midfield players.
“He is another calm head, someone who has been there and done it. And he will bring that quality to us and give us a different option.”
Lee impressed on the ball on Tuesday night, playing for more than an hour before being replaced by Ali Crawford.
Heavy conditions at St James Park made it a real physical test for the midfielder, and Evatt was pleased with his first outing for the club.
“He’s going to be a big part of what we do, going forwards.
“His fitness levels are in general really good, but until you get on a pitch and on a testing heavy pitch, you really find out where you’re at and he was blowing at half-time.
But I was really pleased with some of the things I saw in the first half. I think he’s intelligent, he’s got real quality and he’s going to add experience and a good characteristic to the squad.”
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