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Wanderers boss Ian Evatt believes the best is still to come from Amadou Bakayoko following the forward’s return from injury.
Bakayoko has started the Whites’ last two matches after recovering from a calf problem which kept him out of action for several weeks.
The 25-year-old arrived at the UniBol over the summer after leaving Coventry City at the end of his contract.
Evatt is pleased to have the forward back but insists it will take time for his match sharpness to return following a spell on the sidelines.
“Baka was out for seven, eight weeks and we’ve rushed him back,” said the Bolton boss.
“We probably haven’t seen the best of him yet but that will come back because he needs game time to get his match sharpness back.
“He just needs time. The thing is with football, everyone wants it right now. Sometimes you have to remember these players are only human and injuries take time to get over.
“He needs to rebuild his sharpness but he also needs to rebuild his confidence, and that will come with games.
“I’ve no doubt he’s a fantastic player, a great man, and we’re looking forward to getting him back up to full speed.
“He’s got pace and physicality. People mentioned a plan B - plan Bakayoko, maybe that’s what it stands for.”
Wanderers will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Gillingham to the UniBol on Saturday afternoon.
The Whites enter the game on the back of a 3-0 loss against league leaders Plymouth on Tuesday night – their third successive defeat.
Evatt admits it has been a tough couple of weeks but wants his side to be judged by their league position come May.
“I think it’s important that we do have some perspective,” he added. “It’s a mark of how far we’ve come individually and collectively that there is that expectation of us now.
“And I don’t mind that, I want that expectation. But we need to be judged on 46 games in League One, not 13 or 14.
“We’ve had a tough run, we’ve had some adversity with injuries, we’ve had to chop and change. There’s a long, long way to go yet.”
Evatt admits there has been frustration in the dressing room following recent results but says it is his job to keep the squad “composed and level-headed”.
He said: “Team spirit is a wonderful thing – it’s very hard to gain but very easy to lose. Winning games always helps.
“With the fanbase, with (the media), with us – a couple of good results and you feel like you’re on top of the world, a couple of bad ones and you feel like you’re the worst team in England.
“It’s just the nature of the beast and it’s the game we love.”
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