Gary Megson was delighted by the performance of Riga Mustapha against West Brom on Saturday.
Trotters boss delighted with summer arrival
Bolton boss Gary Megson was delighted by the performance of Riga Mustapha against West Brom on Saturday.
The summer signing from struggling Spanish outfit Levante looked the most capable of breaking the deadlock in a game which ultimately ended goalless.
He worked Baggies keeper Scott Carson on numerous occasions, while also displaying flashes of the electric pace which is likely to trouble Premier League defences this term.
He has adapted admirably to the rigours of English football, while also appearing untroubled by the events of a turbulent 2007/08 campaign which saw him go unpaid for much of the season.
Mobility
"He's got a great deal of quality," Megson admitted.
"He's had an awful 12 months, him and his family, in as much as he hasn't been paid for that length of time.
"Given that and the way things have been going for the whole squad at Levante, he's not always been training and he needs to get back into that atmosphere of training all the time and the intense expectation of winning games.
"But there are no problems with him on the ball. He's got a great deal of mobility, he just needs to learn now about English football and what it's all about - but he's certainly improving on that."
Frustrating
While pleased with Riga's performance against the Trotters, Megson was left to curse an early injury to midfielder Joey O'Brien which further stretches his already depleted squad.
"We're not one of these clubs that can carry a huge amount of staff because of the wage bill," Megson added.
"What we've tried to do is spend a few quid on quality as opposed to just quantity, and as we stand at the moment we can't really get by when we've got four players missing and another one has to come off.
"We'll have to hope that doesn't happen too often."
