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Where are they now? Bolton’s young guns; featuring Danny Ward

Australia's Aaron Mooy (Reuters)
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We catch up with some of the youngsters who have left Bolton Wanderers in recent years.

Former Bolton Wanderers youth prospects Georg Iliev, Michael O’Halloran, Christopher Cvetko and James Sinclair have taken their talents abroad.

Iliev failed to make a single senior appearance during his four years at the Macron. The midfielder returned to Bulgarian football with Slavia Sofia in January of 2016, but only featured once before being released last month.

Cvetko is back in Austrian football with Blau Weiss Linz. The 19-year-old is yet to feature for the bottom place second tier side.

O’Halloran also returned to his native league following his departure from Bolton in 2014. After an impressive two-year stay at St Johnstone, the forward earned a move to Scottish giants Rangers in the summer. O’Halloran is yet to score his first goal for the Gers, and was sent-off in their recent 2-0 win over Motherwell.

Meanwhile, Sinclair has enjoyed spells in Israeli, Polish and Swedish football during his post-Bolton career. He currently plays for Swedish side GAIS.

Tom Eaves, Oscar Threlkeld, Mark Connolly and Rhys Bennett are among the ex-Bolton youngsters to be playing in League Two.

Threlkeld, 22, has been a regular for promotion pushing Plymouth Argyle. The midfielder scored in the Green Army’s 2-0 win over Connolly’s Crawley Town side back in December.

Eaves has scored four league goals for Yeovil Town, while Bennett has been ever-present for Mansfield Town during this campaign.

Hayden White, one of many youngsters released by Wanderers in the summer, joined Bennett at the Stags on a six-month loan from Peterborough in January. Wigan Athletic’s Sanmi Odelusi is also on-loan in English football’s fourth tier. The forward signed with Blackpool after his season-long loan to Rochdale was cut short last month.

Bolton will come head-to-head with former academy graduate Chris Basham this weekend. The versatile midfielder now plays for League One promotion rivals Sheffield United.

Basham is joined in League One by fellow ex-Bolton youngsters Joe Riley, Tope Obadeyi, Niall Maher and Rob Lainton.

Maher and Lainton face a fight to keep Bury in the division this season. While Riley spent last season with the Shakers before moving to Shrewsbury Town in the summer.

Obadeyi has played for six clubs, including Portuguese side Rio Ave, since leaving Wanderers in 2012. He signed for Oldham Athletic in the January transfer window.

Harry Campbell, Danny Ward and Andrew Kellet are all on the books of Championship clubs fighting to avoid the drop.

Campbell (Burton Albion) and Kellett (Wigan Athletic) have seen their opportunities limited for their respective sides. Whereas, Ward has managed to bag nine league goals for hapless bottom-of-the-league strugglers Rotherham United.

Aaron Mooy is turning heads at the other end of the division with Huddersfield Town. The creative midfielder, who spent time in Scottish and Australian football following departure from Bolton in 2010, is on a season-loan from Manchester City.

Mooy could be playing against ex-Trotters – and current Arsenal – defender Rob Holding next season. Holding hasn’t featured in the league for Arsene Wenger’s side since the end of August, but did recently play in their FA Cup victory over non-league Sutton United.