Why Bolton Wanderers star Dapo Afolayan has the brains to beat League One

DAPO Afolayan has the smarts to keep scoring in League One â€" despite now being a marked man.

Ian Evatt reckons opposition managers are now singling out the former West Ham winger for special treatment after his electric start to the season.

Afolayan scored his sixth goal in 12 games at Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night after a heart-to-heart with Evatt over his recent performances against Rotherham United and Sunderland.

But rather than provide a solution for the 24-year-old to get back among the goals, the Wanderers boss reckoned Afolayan had already done his homework.

“Dapo is a really intelligent football player, I have a fantastic relationship with him and I think the world of him,” he told The Bolton News. “On Sunday we had a conversation on the phone. Every manager I speak to after games now, they’re targeting Dapo with two or three men on him and it’s about how we adapt his game or keep the opposition guessing.

“He already knew the answers. He said ‘gaffer, I know, I’ve been looking at it today. I’ve been watching different players in the Premier League and how they adapt their game when that happens.’

“He’s a bright kid and we think a lot of him.”

Afolayan has been fouled 39 times this season â€" which is 11 times more than any other player in League One and comes at a rate of one every 22.6 minutes.

Evatt reckons the winger has to wear that statistic with pride as it underlines what a threat he has become in an attacking Wanderers side.

“Absolutely - it has to be,” he said. “He has to manage his frustration at that and he’s still improving at that.

“Sometimes his reactions to that sort of thing can be a bit petulant, but he’s a fantastic young player and we’re lucky to have him.”

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