Wanderers plan to be first in the queue to loan Conor Bradley next season if they are promoted to the Championship.
Ian Evatt is keen to bring the Northern Ireland international back for another spell but even if his side are victorious in the play-offs, he is only likely to hear deep into the pre-season whether Liverpool will sanction another move.
Jurgen Klopp’s squad is heading out to the Far East his summer and will also have a training camp in mainland Europe. The Reds boss has already stated that he wants to take a close look at the young defender before deciding his future.
Bradley swept the board at Wanderers’ end-of-season awards last weekend and hopes to finish his first full season of professional football with a promotion under his belt.
But he admits he has been motivated by Liverpool’s constant monitoring of his progress at the University of Bolton Stadium and will leave the final word down to his parent club boss.
“The fact he has been keeping an eye on me the whole year is really nice to hear,” he told The Bolton News. “With Liverpool, we will take that into the summer and then wait and see what happens from there.”
Bradley already has his first silverware, having lifted the Papa Johns Trophy, and would love to finish with another Wembley triumph.
“This has been a great year for me and the loan has given me everything I wanted,” he said. “I have grown up, learned how to play men’s football, so to win awards at the end of it all is really nice.
“I have loved my time here at Bolton and I want it to finish on a high in the play-offs.”
Meanwhile, Wanderers fans should take note that the play-off semi-final second-leg dates have been moved to avoid potential problems with travel.
Ian Evatt’s side face one more game at Bristol Rovers on Sunday to determine whether they finish fifth – and face Barnsley – or sixth, to face Sheffield Wednesday for a place at Wembley.
The EFL has today confirmed that the original date of the games has now been altered as follows.
If Wanderers finish fifth, they will play Barnsley at home with a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, May 13.
The return leg, at Oakwell, would then be played on Friday, May 19, with an 8pm kick-off.
If Wanderers finish sixth, they will play Sheffield Wednesday at home with an 8pm kick-off on Friday, May 12.
The return leg, at Hillsborough, will then be played on Thursday, May 18, with an 8pm kick-off.
Originally, both second legs had been scheduled on Saturday, May 20, but have been moved on advice from the South Yorkshire Police.
The date of the League One play-off final remains unchanged – with the two semi-final winners meeting at Wembley on Monday, May 29, with a 3pm kick-off.
All games are scheduled to be covered by Sky Sports.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel