Bolton boss Owen Coyle believes Marvin Sordell is ready for the hurly burly of the Premier League.
Boss backs striker to make immediate impact - if called upon
Bolton boss Owen Coyle believes Marvin Sordell is ready for the hurly burly of the Premier League.
The young striker was a £3million signing on deadline day after scoring 10 goals in 29 games for Championship side Watford this season.
At 20, Sordell was seen by many as one for the future rather than the man to fire Bolton to Premier League safety.
Ahead of Saturday's trip to Norwich the Trotters sit just two points above the drop zone and, while Coyle admits Sordell is far from his peak, he claims he is willing to throw the youngster straight into the fray.
"I think he's ready to be play," he told
Sky Sports News. "If he was thrust in tomorrow, he'd handle that, no problem.
"I think it's fair to say he's going to have a huge career in football.
"It's up to Marvin, how well he does when he crosses that white line, to make that transition and show everybody his quality.
Desire
"I know he has the desire to do that and it all bodes well for the future."
While Arsenal's Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi has only arrived on loan till the end of the season, Coyle sees Sordell and American defender Tim Ream, a £2m signing from the New York Red Bulls, as sound investments for the club.
"We're always looking for young, exciting players that we think can help our team and help the future at Bolton Wanderers," he added.
"After Tim Ream and Ryo Miyaichi, we still wanted to strengthen the attacking area and Marvin Sordell's a player I've watched for a number of years now.
"He's young, he's exciting, he's got pace to burn, he scores goals, and that makes a wonderful package. The other great thing is he's an England Under 21 international striker at this moment.
"We, as a club, have a tremendous history and tradition, we want to invest in young English players, there's that affiliation with the supporters as well but recognising that if there's players available anywhere on the continent that can help us, we'll look to bring them in.
"In Marvin's case, I think his scope for improvement can continue to get better. That's why we're looking forward to working with him."
