Steven Schumacher confirms what is going on with Ibrahim Cissoko at Bolton Wanderers | OneFootball

The 22-year-old has only started three league games so far this season

Bolton Wanderers manager Steven Schumacher has provided an encouraging update on the progress of Dutch winger Ibrahim Cissoko.

In truth, the 22-year-old's journey to Greater Manchester has been far from straightforward.

He endured a frustrating spell on loan at Plymouth Argyle last season, where a groin injury in October derailed his promising start of three goals in his first 13 Championship appearances.

After surgery, the winger then moved to Sheffield Wednesday in February on loan, making five appearances before ultimately joining Bolton in August on another temporary deal away from Toulouse.

Schumacher's latest comments suggest Cissoko is finally hitting his stride in League One after a somewhat rough 18 months in English football.

Steven Schumacher's verdict on Ibrahim Cissoko's Bolton Wanderers progress

Speaking to The Bolton News, Schumacher expressed his delight with how Cissoko has been responding to his time at the Trotters, particularly putting emphasis on the player's physical and mental state following the aforementioned injury struggles.

"I had him (Cissoko) in this morning and we went through a couple of his clips and really praised him for his effort the other night," Schumacher said.

"Physically he's getting stronger. And I know once he's physically stronger, his ability will shine through," Schumacher added. "Now, he's in a really good place."

Since arriving at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, Cissoko has been gradually working his way back to full sharpness - playing 245 minutes across seven matches, starting three of them.

"He understands that the team are playing well and he's ready to come on and help when he can. But it won't be long, I'm sure, before you see him back in the starting 11 and that's the beauty of having a competitive squad," Schumacher concluded on Cissoko.

Thierry Gale's impressive start on the left has perhaps been the main reason why Cissoko hasn't started as much as he'd like - the Barbados international managed a goal and assist against local rivals Wigan Athletic in the last league game.

Ibrahim Cissoko well-placed to make a big impact at Bolton Wanderers

Touching on the competitive squad, Schumacher highlighted how opponents' focus on star performer Amario Cozier-Duberry can create opportunities for players like Cissoko.

"If people want to double and triple up marking (Cozier-Duberry) then it leaves space on the other side of the pitch," the Trotters' manager explained. "Ibrahim came on and also gave us an outlet."

Cissoko played his first full 90 minutes of the season in Bolton's Vertu Trophy win over Manchester City U21s, where he completed the most dribbles in the match with three.

The Dutch youth international's previous experience in top-flight football with both NEC Nijmegen in the Eredivisie and Toulouse in Ligue 1 does suggest he possesses more than enough quality to excel at this level, provided he can maintain his fitness.

So, with the manager confirming that Cissoko is now "getting stronger" and ready to compete for regular starts, Bolton fans can surely expect to see much more of the winger in the coming weeks and months.