IAN Evatt says Ronan Darcy leaves Wanderers with his best wishes after he completed a move to Swindon Town.

The 21-year-old midfielder terminated the final year of his contract with the Whites to sign a two-year deal at the County Ground in League Two.

Darcy had impressed in a two-week trial in Wiltshire, and though Wanderers had offered him the chance to progress in their B Team set up, Evatt admits the time was right for the youngster to strike out alone.

“He is a wonderful young man, no issues at all with him, but it’s just that time and stage of his career now that he needs to go and form a career for himself and play regular first team football,” said the Bolton boss.

“It’s a great opportunity at Swindon. The way Swindon have played should really suit how he plays, so I think it’s a really good fit and I do really wish him well.

“He probably would have been towards the later developers at the B team level and because he has tasted first team football, it is really the time for him to go out and form a career in the game.

"He has a fantastic opportunity and I do really wish him well, he is a wonderful young man and he is one of our own and we always want to see them do well, so we will wish him luck and hopefully it will work out for him.”

Darcy signed for Wanderers at the age of seven and was the last remaining player on the club's books who started against Coventry City in August 2019. The team - dubbed the Junior Whites - were the youngest in Bolton's history.

He found regular football under Keith Hill in League One that season but has since struggled for game time and was loaned out last season to Norwegian side Sogndal and Scottish League One promotion winners, Queen’s Park.

It is understood he wanted the assurance of regular senior football this season, so was granted permission to trial elsewhere, with a handful of lower league clubs in England and Scotland providing offers.

Wanderers are understood to have bonus payments included in the midfielder's contract dependent on future success at Swindon.

“I think it was important for him to do so," Evatt said of the move. "Sometimes opportunities come around that are too good to turn down and I think this opportunity was too good for him to turn down.

“I think Swindon is a football club that suits his playing style really well and we wish him all the best obviously. He’s a wonderful young man with a great attitude and no issues with him whatsoever. He just wasn’t quite where we wanted and needed him to be right now to be a regular first team player and that position on the pitch in our team is super competitive, especially when you’ve got Josh Sheehan back into that mix, who is almost there as well.

“Go out there, form a career and any support we can ever give him we’re always going to be here for him.”