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Aaron Morley has made more than 150 senior appearances, spread over six different seasons, but is still in the middle of his schooling with Bolton Wanderers.
Ian Evatt was pleased with the midfielder’s performance in midweek against Burton Albion as he returned to the starting line-up for a league game for the first time since August.
Morley had made a big impact after signing from Rochdale at the start of the year but is now vying for a spot in one of the most crowded positions in the Bolton squad.
And manager Evatt has reminded those eager to see his impressive passing range on a more regular basis that he is still very much learning his trade in League One.
“I think the one area of the pitch which is hardest to select is the midfield because we have some really good options,” he said.
“Everyone has to remember that Aaron is a really young lad. He has played a lot of minutes and a lot of games for that young career but he is still developing.
“His in-possession stuff is fantastic, his range of passing is tremendous. We are trying to educate him with the out-of-possession, against the ball stuff, and against Burton he was a lot better. I was really pleased with him.
“But none of that is his fault – Rochdale asked him to do something completely different to what we require, so it takes a bit of time to get that right.
“He is a young player who has a really bright future. We think the world of him and that was a step forward.”
Wanderers had four players under the age of 22 playing against Burton in midweek, a 90-minute lesson that Evatt believes will be hugely beneficial.
Frustrated for almost 90 minutes, the fact the Whites were able to overcome their opponents in the end will be crucial in the youngsters’ development.
“I think people forget when you look at Burton and what they did to us, we had James Trafford, Conor Bradley, Aaron Morley and George Thomason – all really young players.
“So having them in the team for games like that will really do wonders for their experience and stand them in good stead for the future.”
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