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Wanderers boss Ian Evatt says Dion Charles is hungry for more heading into the new League One campaign.
Charles finished last season as the Whites’ top scorer, scoring 21 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions.
The forward also made an impression on the international stage, scoring his first goals for Northern Ireland during a 2-0 win against San Marino in March.
Despite his prolific form last season, Evatt says Charles is constantly looking to improve his game.
“There is always room for improvement,” the manager explained. “Dion scored 20 goals last season but he is hungry for more.
“He gets opportunities, he had some again (against Everton) and we will back him to take them.
“I still think there are parts of his game that he can polish – in particular, the way he connects and combines with people, his reliability with possession.
“But he is a threat, he is a handful. I was a centre-back and I certainly wouldn’t want to play against him!”
The 27-year-old came through the ranks at Blackpool but dropped into the non-league pyramid during the early stages of his career.
“Everybody has a different journey in football and Dion’s journey was one where he dipped out of the game,” Evatt continued.
“It took him through some non-league clubs, but what that did for him was he learnt to use his body against bigger opponents.
“Now he punches well above his weight and he has got a chip on his shoulder. He has got a point to prove and hopefully he will go a long way to firing us to where we want to be.”
Charles had his minutes managed during the early fixtures of pre-season, having been away on international duty during the summer break.
The tenacious forward featured in the European Championship qualifiers against Denmark and Kazakhstan.
“He hadn’t missed too much of the off-season,” said the Bolton boss. “He had been away with Northern Ireland so there were other players who needed match minutes.
“Dion was already fit so it was just about bringing him back to the boil again. I think we are seeing that now.”
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