Ian Evatt has confirmed that defender Yoan Zouma has now left Bolton Wanderers and has explained why the free agent is now no longer training with the club.
Zouma was a free agent after being released earlier in the summer, but had been training at Lostock under new head coach Evatt.
The Bolton boss had previously suggested that Zouma - the younger brother of Chelsea defender Kurt - could yet have earned a deal at Wanderers.
However, speaking ahead of the match against Newport County this weekend, Evatt has confirmed that Zouma is no longer at the club.
And he has explained the reasons why Zouma and Bolton have parted ways.
Evatt feels that at the age the Frenchman is now, he ought to be heading straight into a first team and is no longer a younger prospect.
Having viewed Zouma in training recently, Evatt does not believe he is a better option than the other defenders currently on the books at Wanderers.
Evatt said: "Yoan’s now left. Obviously we have quite a few centre backs at the moment.
"Yoan is 23-years-old so he’s not a child. He’s not a 21-year-old project anymore. He has to come straight into somebody’s first team.
"From what I’ve seen in training, is he ready and doing things better than the ones that we have? The answer’s no, is the honest answer.
"At the moment, that is not something that we’re going to do."
Other central defenders at Wanderers include George Taft, Alex Baptiste, Ricardo Almeida Santos, Reiss Greenidge and Harry Brockbank.
Evatt did not rule out the potential for another defensive signing to be made at Bolton over the summer, given that Zouma is no longer a consideration.
However, he stressed that the priority for incomings is in the forward areas.
He said: "It’s possible, but for now the priority is the top end of the pitch."
