IAN Evatt has let Nathan Delfouneso exactly how he can resurrect his Wanderers career.

The experienced striker has managed just 16 minutes of league football this season but supplied a timely reminder of his talent against Liverpool Under-21s in the Papa John’s Trophy on Tuesday night.

Delfouneso has two goals to his name in that competition this season but has struggled to break past Dapo Afolayan, Eoin Doyle, Amadou Bakayoko or Lloyd Isgrove in League One Bolton’s front line.

Evatt has head a heart-to-heart with the 30-year-old about what he requires to get back into the starting line-up.

“Me and Nathan have spoken a lot about what he has to do to get in the team and we need to see more of that,” he said of the striker’s effective display in midweek. “We know Nathan has the talent, but he has to produce it because we’ve got some really good players in every area of the pitch.

“He knows what’s required, it’s just about him producing that on a consistent basis.”

Delfouneso was one of a handful of players who contracted Covid in the summer, missing a chunk of the pre-season preparations.

And after getting off on the wrong foot, he then missed a penalty in a Carabao Cup shootout at Wigan Athletic.

Delfouneso scored his first goal of the season against Port Vale in the Papa John’s Trophy and added another against Liverpool’s kids on Tuesday night but Evatt hinted that he may have to step standards up even further to get back into the reckoning.

“Again, it just boils down to taking opportunities and it’s not just today because it’s a game and it’s competitive and there’s fans in and it’s a fantastic stadium that you should take that opportunity. It’s every single day you step foot on the grass,” he said.

“You should want to be the best player, you should want to impress the manager, you should want to impress your team-mates, we have to have that attitude and once you do get that what it does is it drives everybody else on because then there’s a culture and standards are created, and we’ve created those standards now.”

Evatt has also confirmed there is no lasting damage for keeper Matt Gilks, who took a heavy blow to his shoulder in the second half against Liverpool “He’s okay. He’s a big strong boy, is Matt. He’s had many of them over his career.

"I was more worried about when the rain came down in the second half to be honest!"