How Steven Schumacher feels about John McAtee at Bolton Wanderers as 7pm deadline looms | OneFootball

The seven-figure attacking midfielder has been a bit-part player so far in this campaign.

Steven Schumacher has clarified Bolton Wanderers' transfer stance on John McAtee after he was entirely left out of the squad to face Blackpool at the weekend.

One of the premier signings for the Trotters of the previous summer window, McAtee is now close to being an afterthought at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The only game he has started this season was the club's first match against Stockport County, and he has since been missing from Schumacher's two 18-man squads that faced Lincoln City and Blackpool.

Some have interpreted this as the writing being on the wall for McAtee after the boss stated that he is expecting at least a couple of his players to leave the club before the transfer window shuts at 7pm this evening. One of the players that was available for a move, Szabolcs Schon, has since completed a season-long loan move back to his homeland of Hungary.

Steven Schumacher makes John McAtee transfer exit claim

McAtee is not, however, expected to follow in Schon's footsteps, despite his recent absences from the squad. Schumacher clarified to The Bolton News that he hasn't opened the door for the 26-year-old to move on from the club.

"John is a good player and the club spent a lot of money on him last summer for that reason," the boss stated. "He scored goals the season before. He scored goals for us last year too. I've had a couple of conversations with him already.

"I have told him that he has just got to keep his head down and keep going because at the moment, with the way the squad is, and it's strong and everyone's fit, he's just finding himself out of the starting XI and out of the squad the last two games.

"But it is the same for the lads I've just walked past. Chris Forino, Richard Taylor, they're all good players and they all want to play.

"All players want to play every single minute but it's just not possible. We are going to need all of the squad, because we will have injuries, we will have suspensions, we will have dips in form, and we are going to need everyone. So, yes, John is still our player."

Schumacher added that he sees a route back into the Bolton squad for McAtee. The former Luton Town player will need to leapfrog the likes of Aaron Morley, Xavier Simons and Joel Randall before he can get his old starting spot back.

"He’s a good lad, Macca, he trains well all the time, and he just needs to stay patient," Schumacher claimed.

"I know it is not easy when you're not playing. It is definitely not easy when you don't get selected on the A Team. But I can only name seven subs and I've got to have early positions covered.

"At the moment, he's just finding himself out of it, but he will come back, I'm sure."

John McAtee should be motivated by Steven Schumacher comments

Bolton's head coach does not come across as a man who messes about when it comes to his squad. It has been completely revamped this summer thanks to a number of incomings and outgoings.

If Schumacher really didn't fancy McAtee, he would not be publicly claiming that there is a way back for the attacking midfielder, and McAtee should take some encouragement from that.

The contract that he signed last summer, when Wanderers reportedly paid £1 million for him, runs until the summer of 2027. Bolton were never going to be able to right that sort of money off completely. They have to try and make the best of this situation with McAtee, and the same goes for the player.