RISING star Alex Samizadeh has been tipped for big things – but only once he is ready!
The highly-rated young striker scored four times in a 6-1 win over QPR for the Under-23s on Monday night to catch the eye of Wanderers fans once again.
But Whites legend David Lee, who was recently installed as the development squad manager, insists the 17-year-old will not be rushed into Phil Parkinson’s first team plans just yet.
Speaking to The Bolton News, Lee believes it would be a mistake to put him into senior football too early.
“I think we have to temper expectations a little bit,” he said. “Scoring four goals is great and it is what Alex does – he’s a goalscorer – but there are other parts of his game that we need to improve.
“He has so many good attributes, enthusiasm, endeavour, and over the next 12-18 months if he can focus on developing as a player he will have that opportunity.
“If you thrust him into a first team game right now it could highlight the deficiencies and I think that could be detrimental to his career.”
Samizadeh did get a brief taste of senior football at Brentford last season when he came on as a late substitute for Kaiyne Woolery.
He also trained with Derby County last season at the height of Wanderers’ financial problems but when a permanent move did not materialise, Lee has been happy with his attitude since returning to the Macron.
“The situation here last season made everything unpredictable so when Alex went to Derby we didn’t know whether they were going to pay a fee or not,” he explained. “He did get a bit beyond his station and I had to stamp that out a little bit because when he returned, he had a little lull in his form.
“Since then, whether he has played for the U18s or the development squad he has shown a good attitude and I hope that continues.
“Sometimes you do have to bring him down a peg to make sure he carries on progressing but he has a lot going for him as a player.”
Wanderers have received an extra 372 tickets at Walsall on Saturday after selling out their initial allocation of 1,000.
Trevor Kettle will take charge at the Banks’’s Stadium and has sent off three Bolton players in the only three times he has refereed the club.
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