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Declan John’s injury is “nothing serious” but the Welshman will miss the next week or two, Ian Evatt has confirmed.
The left-back picked up the injury during the warm-ups against Plymouth Argyle last weekend, with Jack Iredale starting against Crewe Alexandra in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday night.
Owen Beck’s arrival on loan from Liverpool had caused fears among some supporters that John would be out of action for a while.
While that is not the case, the Welshman will miss Saturday’s clash with Charlton Athletic at the UniBol.
“It is not too bad actually. It’s damage to the sheaf - outside of the muscle you have a muscle sheaf where the muscle moves and where it sits,” the manager explained.
“It has just been a little bit damaged but a week to two weeks maximum, and it is nothing serious.”
Evatt also gave an update on Iceland international Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, who has missed the last three matches due to a hamstring strain.
The experienced forward made a big impact during the second half of last season, finding the net seven times in total.
The Bolton chief added: “We have not really got Jon going yet. He was exceptional for us last season and he is going to be a huge player for us.
“He is not too far away, he is improving everyday.”
Eoin Toal and Josh Sheehan were both included in Evatt’s starting line-up against Crewe on Tuesday night.
It was Toal’s first-team debut after joining from Derry City, having played through an ankle issue during his final appearance for the Irish club.
Meanwhile, Sheehan had been sidelined since last November after suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Stockport County in the FA Cup.
The Bolton boss was pleased with what he saw from both players and admits Sheehan “feels like a new signing” heading into a busy month.
“I was delighted with Eoin,” he said. “I thought he stepped in and considering he has not had much training with us and not really drilled down what we require from those centre-backs, he wasn’t out of place and looked like he had been with us for a while.
“Josh will take another big step forward from that. Obviously, he offers us different thing to what some of the other midfield players do.
“He feels like a new signing. We are pleased to have him back and as I said, there are games coming thick and fast this month where we will increase his fitness levels.”
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