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Ian Evatt insists Wanderers will not progress contract talks with Dennis Politic beyond their original offer, made last month.
The academy graduate, who is on loan at Port Vale for the season, will be a free agent next summer unless he signs a new deal at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Politic battled back from a serious knee injury to feature in Wanderers’ pre-season but was sent out to League Two Vale because Evatt could not guarantee him regular first-team football.
The club had been optimistic that the 21-year-old would follow Ronan Darcy in extending his contract but asked earlier this week about any recent developments, Evatt confirmed the ball was in Politic’s court.
“There is no more discussion,” he told The Bolton News. “We made him an offer, so that’s that.”
Politic featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly for Vale a fortnight ago but has yet to play a single minute of competitive football since his loan deal was announced nearly a month ago.
Evatt had hoped the winger would get regular games and return to Bolton next summer to challenge for a place in his own side – but the Wanderers boss believes the onus is now on Politic to force his way into Darrell Clarke’s line-up.
“We can’t demand that he plays because I certainly wouldn’t accept that from another manager,” he said.
“That would mean I was picking their team, whether the player has been good or not, and that can’t happen.
“You have to go and fight, earn the right to be in their team. Now from our perspective, and my opinion, their team is not as good as ours so he has got a better chance of playing in their team than ours at the moment.
“But he still has to earn it, he still has to train well and make sure when he gets that opportunity he plays well because I can’t demand that he plays. I can’t pick Port Vale’s team as well as my own, that can’t happen.
“Football isn’t like that, you have to go and earn it. And at the moment their manager obviously feels that he hasn’t, so again roll your sleeves up, get your head down, work hard and make sure you get in their team.”
Wanderers go to Ipswich this afternoon with no fresh injury concerns.
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