MARLON Fossey has turned down the sun-kissed beaches of David Beckham’s Inter Miami for a chance to roll up his sleeves in League One with Wanderers.

The pacy Fulham full-back has agreed to sign with the Whites until the end of the season, with the view to a permanent deal in the summer.

Fossey is keen to improve his international prospects having represented his country at Under-20 level and could follow in the footsteps of fellow US stars who have flourished at Bolton, including Stu Holden, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson.

The defender was born in LA but moved to Jersey at the age of 11 and holds a British passport. He has League One experience but had a loan spell at Shrewsbury cut short because of injury last season.

Evatt believes the LA-born 23-year-old’s determination to forge a career in England can work to Wanderers’ advantage.

“When I first spoke to Marlon, believe or not we were in big competition with Inter Miami, who wanted to take him over there,” he told The Bolton News.

“He wants to get into the US team, that’s his goal, but I spoke to him at length, showed him around, told him about the clubs, the plans, the future and what we want to try and do, and he bought into it by choosing us over them.

“It is credit to us and to him because he wants to stay in England and make a good go of it.

“Yes, he has had some injuries but he is one of those players who has outgrown the Under-23s model now and needs to go out there and play senior football to forge a career.

“He has an immense talent, so many attributes, and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Wanderers’ right-back berth has been problematic this season, and since first-choice Gethin Jones picked up a fracture in his leg in October, Harry Brockbank, Adam Senior, Liam Gordon, Alex Baptiste and Lloyd Isgrove have all filled-in at various times.

Fossey, who spent time on trial with Rotherham United in the summer, could come straight into the reckoning at Hartlepool United in the Papa John's Trophy, subject to clearance.

“He isn’t a young player, so to speak, he has been with Fulham’s Under-23s for a while and is physically ready for first team football,” Evatt explained.

“He is a loan but also someone who might be looking to the future for something more permanent.

“Marlon is athletically fantastic, lightning fast, has that profile and can do the sprinting you need to do for us as a full-back.

“He can handle the ball and is used to playing in a similar system at Fulham.

“He ticks a lot of boxes. We have had Gethin out for a while and we know how much we have missed him. Younger players who have taken his place have done their best, fantastically well, and even Liam (Gordon) has been in there.

“It has been an issue for us since Izzy (Lloyd Isgrove) got injured and even then it was a makeshift move. We needed cover and Gethin is recovering all the time, doing great, but it takes some of the pressure off him and enables us to have something really competitive, giving us the same sort of profile as we get on the left with Declan John.”