BOLTON boss Ian Evatt has hinted at a permanent move for on-loan Saints forward Dan N’lundulu while comparing him to Brentford striker and England international Ivan Toney.

N’lundulu - whose Saints contract expires this summer - spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Cheltenham before joining Evatt’s side in the winter to aid their promotion push.

The 24 year old scored four times in 23 appearances for Cheltenham and notched his first Bolton goal on Sunday as they beat Bristol Rovers 3-2 to finish fifth in the League One table. They will now take on Barnsley in the two-legged play-off semi-final.

And despite N’lundulu’s modest goalscoring numbers across his two loans this season, Evatt was full of praise for the forward following the weekend’s victory.

“I think Dan has so many tools and I have said to him that I’d love to work with him on a full-time basis because I think there is a real player in there,” Evatt said, according to the Bolton News.

“This is a massive comparison but I see him as an Ivan Toney type. He can have a similar journey, he just needs coaching and some time. Given that I think we can make him into a real player.

“He has bought into us as a football club, he has enjoyed playing here, and we have seen flashes of what he can do.”

After joining the Saints academy in 2013, N’lundulu made his first-team debut in October 2020 when he came off the bench in a 2-0 win against Everton. He has tacked on a further 14 Saints appearances since then, scoring his maiden goal for the club against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.

It remains to be seen where N’lundulu will be playing his football next season with his time at Saints potentially coming to an end as his contract expires.