Warning fired to Bolton Wanderers star Amario Cozier-Duberry - 'It’s not an absolute given' | OneFootball

FLW's Bolton Fan Pundit Liam believes Amario Cozier-Duberry can and will go higher - but he must get himself fit.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bolton Wanderers will be looking to refine their team and game plan in the final couple of months of this campaign, with the Trotters almost certainties to have to play in the play-offs in League One once again.

Semi-finalists in 2023 and then finalists in 2024, Bolton have been knocking on the door of promotion for a while and it now looks set to be another near miss with Wanderers third in the table but ten points behind a relentless Lincoln City side, albeit with their own ten-point lead over seventh placed Reading.

Their recent 5-1 demolition of Exeter City was an impressive performance and extended the Whites’ current unbeaten run of form to ten matches in League One, with some impressive business done in the January transfer window.

The bolstering of their attack saw the arrivals of Ruben Rodrigues, Rob Apter, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Johnny Kenny – and it has very much aided the cause.

One man that was the star signing from the summer, though, Amario Cozier-Duberry on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, dealing with an injury issue that does make his future a little uncertain.

Amario Cozier-Duberry needs to get fit for Bolton

Having been absolutely brilliant in the first-half of the campaign, leading to links with Sheffield United, Arsenal academy graduate Cozier-Duberry has a large chunk of time due to injury for Bolton and may only just be back for the so-called ‘run in’ in April ahead of those likely play-offs.

Due to that injury, his trajectory of being inevitably being in the second-tier next season has been slightly hit and, as FLW’s Bolton Fan Pundit Liam O’Meara explains, Cozier-Duberry may well have the quality for a higher level but needs to get fit first.

Liam says: “I think that Cozier-Duberry has to get back from what has been quite a serious injury.

“It’s going to have been out of the team for a good three or four months by the time he returns to first-team action at Bolton.

“Do I think that he can play at a higher level than League One next season? Yes, definitely.

“It’s not an absolute given that you come back from an injury like that hitting the same levels. It’s taken Paris Maghoma a very long time to start hitting the form that we expected him to do and we’re only seeing that now at Norwich, 18 months down the line.

“I think the main thing Cozier-Duberry needs to focus on is getting back fit and playing for Bolton this season and next season will take care of itself.

“Could he play in the Championship? Yes, absolutely. Would I like that to be at Bolton? Yes, because that means we have been promoted.”

Amario Cozier-Duberry has been a star for Bolton

After an extremely impressive pre-season with Wanderers, which saw him showcase many of his extremely impressive dribbling and shooting talents, Cozier-Duberry quickly emerged as one of, if not the, best players in League One.

By mid-November, Cozier-Duberry had scored eight goals and provided eight assists for Bolton with two of each in a 4-0 hammering of Port Vale as they chased a top two finish.

A dip in form, perhaps brought about by fatigue with Wanderers light in the final third, hence that focus on incoming business this winter, preceded his injury sustained in mid-January.

His direct replacement for the time being has been Rob Apter on loan from Charlton Athletic and, while the former Blackpool man has shown flashes, Cozier-Duberry doesn’t appear to have too much to fear for his place back on the right flank – should he return to the same level of sharpness as he was at.