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Ian Evatt has been encouraged by local lad John McAtee’s start to life at Wanderers.
The attacker has made three appearances since arriving from Luton Town, two of those coming from the start.
Evatt is pleased to see the Bolton fans buying into McAtee, who grew up down the road in Walkden.
“(Supporters) always want to see ‘one of their own’ playing and John, although he didn’t have his football education here, is a local lad,” said the manager.
“He understands what playing for this club is all about and what is expected, and I think fans can relate to that.
“John is relatable, he is a lovable rogue and players respect that when he is on your team, although not so much when he is against you!
“When he is one of your own, fans buy into that. John hasn’t had a big pre-season, he has been limited with minutes.
“He is going to get better and better as he gets used to what we are doing. It has been a positive start but there is lots more to come from him.”
McAtee is one of eight new additions at the Toughsheet Community Stadium this summer and the window is still open for another week.
Evatt has not entirely ruled out further signings but expects most of the remaining business to be in the opposite direction.
There has been plenty of debate in the football world about whether the transfer window should close before the first competitive game of the season.
When asked about the window closing and what impact it will have, Evatt replied: “It is a marker to say, ‘This is the squad we are working with until January at the very least’.
“That is three months down the line, a lot of football to be played and then you are over halfway through the season. We just have to get our heads down and keep working hard to improve.
“There are lots of things we can improve on - we have got a new system, a new tactical way of playing, new recruits who are getting used to us and players we are getting up to full speed again.
“I think it is a positive that we haven’t lost a game yet and are getting better and better. I think we will continue to see that as the weeks go on.”
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