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Ian Evatt believes summer signing Chris Forino has the attributes to be a “big player” for Wanderers.
The defender arrived on a free transfer from Wycombe in June but has had a frustrating start to life with the Whites, missing most of pre-season due to injury.
Forino made his competitive debut against Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup and also got some valuable minutes under his belt for the B Team several days ago.
Evatt has been impressed by the 24-year-old’s leadership qualities and says that was an area he wanted to address over the summer.
“He is a leader and those characteristics are hard to find. I felt in the summer we needed more leaders,” the manager explained.
“He can be a big player for this football club, he has got a lot of talent. He has had a different journey to others, similar to Dapo (Afolayan) in terms of Loughborough University.
“He has only been a pro for two or three years so he is still learning his trade and what it means to be a football player 24/7, and his body is adapting as well.
“His body needs to become more robust and we need to put him in a position where he can trust his body and athleticism.
“But he has got a lot of talent and we really like what we see so far, both on the pitch and off it.”
Wanderers have taken four points from their opening two league games ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Charlton.
Evatt believes there is more to come from his side and hopes to build a rhythm as the games start to come thick and fast.
“In terms of rhythm, we have been up against it a little bit,” he said. “We have had injuries and missed key personnel in pre-season.
“Players picked up injuries in pre-season, which is always the case, and we have had recruits enter the building late.
“It is not a simple way of playing, it is quite detailed and players need time to get used to it and get to grips with what we do.
“That is why I think it is such a positive there have been no defeats in the first three games. We haven’t really looked like losing and are getting progressively better.”
The Whites have had a full week to prepare for their trip to the Valley following their stalemate against Wrexham.
“I thought Sunday was largely positive and the best performance so far,” Evatt continued. “We are performance driven because I believe that if we play well, it gives us the best chance of winning.
“Of course, you can win without playing well but if you do that consistently, sooner or later it will change and turn.
“We are focused on controlling ourselves, playing well and getting better. If that happens, I know with the talent we have in the squad, we will win games.
“That is where our focus is and players are going to get better and better. At the point we’re at now, we can only go one way which is better performances and consistency.”
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