Stu Holden is on the comeback trail

Bolton Wanderers fans have received a bit of good news with an announcement that Stuart Holden is very close to a training return for the Whites. According to the Bolton News, Stu Holden is just two weeks away from making a return to training with the full team, albeit to light training.

Until now, Holden has been forced to train with the other injured players in the gym and continued physical therapy.

Dougie Freedman spoke to the Bolton News about Holden:

"I'm still trying to convince Stuart that he's a Scotsman. He's a fantastic lad to have about the place. For someone who has been out for a long time he's so positive - he doesn't come with a negative attitude at all.

"So just for that reason it's good to see him around the training ground.

"Now what he'll bring to the pitch, we all know his quality, and I'm sure we'll embrace that.

"I'm not really into the medical side of it, but they do tell me that it could be the end of December.

"But there's no rush. He's been out for such a long time, I'm not going to put a guy's career in jeopardy just because we need a result.

"It's only fair that if he trains with us for a period of time after he comes back, that positivity rubs off on people, and then it's time to pick him."

Freedman is cautious to put a hard date on Holden's comeback but expects him to be back in the mix at the start of the new year. Dougie fully expects this Bolton team to be in at least a playoff spot by then.

"I know this division very well and if you win three games in a row, it can jump you six or seven places," he said.

"When I say I want to stay in contention by Christmas, I'm not going to put that to a league position, more of the number of points. And I just feel that if we can stay as close as we can to that sixth position points-wise, come January, then is the time we can sit down and discuss what we need to shape it up.

"I'll know more about my players, more about what it will take to get up there, and I have left a team up at the top so I understand it isn't just about one or two individuals, it's a squad.

"If we can chop and change things - a few in, a few out in January - and especially if we can call on Stuart Holden, it will give us an opportunity to have a late charge at it."