Wanderers boss Ian Evatt says Luke Mbete has a “point to prove” after joining on loan from Manchester City for the remainder of the season.

The Whites were looking to bolster their defensive options following Will Aimson’s move to Exeter. There are also question marks over the severity of the injury picked up by George Johnston during last weekend’s 2-1 win at Charlton.

Mbete spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship side Huddersfield but only made six first-team appearances for the Terriers.

Evatt reckons the defender is a natural fit for Wanderers’ style of play and hopes he can show why he is highly rated at the Etihad Stadium.

“We’re light on central defenders and, in particular, left-footed central defenders. Luke ticks a lot of boxes we look for,” he told the club website.

“He’s a really talented young player, part of the England Under-21 set-up, who’s excellent with the ball, athletic enough to cope and defend one-on-one in large spaces.

“He’s played for Manchester City, which probably speaks volumes for how highly they rate him.

“He went to Huddersfield earlier this season where he didn't perform to his full potential, but part of our transfer policy really is to look for players that have a point to prove.

“After having a loan that didn’t really go to plan for him, he wants to come here and show everybody how good he is. We think what we do suits him and vice-versa, so we’re looking forward to working with him.”

The move is further proof of the relationship Evatt and his recruitment chief Chris Markham have built with City, with James Trafford going from strength to strength since his arrival at the UniBol.

The Whites have also brought in Shola Shoretire and Dan Nlundulu on loan from Manchester United and Southampton respectively, while Conor Bradley joined from Liverpool over the summer.

“It shows Manchester City really like what we’re doing,” the manager added. “They like what we’ve done with Traff and they can see what we’re doing with Conor Bradley and Shola (Shoretire) as well.

“Luke really fits that profile so it’s another good one for us to get over the line and, hopefully, he’ll show everybody how good he is.”