Phil Parkinson says he is finding it difficult to fit Adam Le Fondre into Bolton's current system, but has challenged the out-of-favour forward to earn a place in his team.
Le Fondre hasn't featured in any of the Trotters last five outings, since coming on as a late substitute in a 5-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers on November 25.
Parkinson has come under increasing scrutiny following Le Fondre's omission, something that was highlighted even further as Wanderers failed to register a single shot on target in their 2-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on Boxing Day.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Parkinson responded to the questions, saying: "Has he done enough when he's come off the bench? Probably not.
"Will Buckley came off the bench at Forest and got us a goal.
"Away from home, I've got to have all bases covered - and at home as well - to make sure I've got cover everywhere.
"It's not just a case of having a bench full of attacking players. You've got to make sure you don't leave yourself open.
"As I've said many times with Alfie - it's fitting him to a system.
"We started the season with 3-5-2 and we got exposed in that system. We feel our defenders are probably more suited to a back-four and it's just getting Alfie into a system.
"Can we play him wide? It's tough because you need pace and power in those areas - certainly at this level.
"He's had a period where he's had a bit of illness before Christmas and back in training this week, he's got to stake a claim to at least be on the bench."
Pos | Team | Pld | Pts |
7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 80 |
8 | Oxford United | 46 | 76 |
9 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 73 |
10 | Portsmouth | 46 | 73 |
11 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 70 |
View Full Standings >> |
Who is Bolton's 2021/22 Player of the Year? | |
---|---|
32.58% | Oladapo Afolayan |
30.96% | Gethin Jones |
21.72% | Ricardo Almeida Santos |
5.51% | Declan John |
4.05% | Kieran Lee |
3.08% | MJ Williams |
1.78% | Joel Dixon |
0.32% | George Johnston |