Bolton Wanderers may be shocked by developments involving ex-Man Utd star | OneFootball

Shola Shoretire struggled for form at Bolton but he is now thriving in the Netherlands

Bolton Wanderers supporters will be surprised to see Shola Shoretire thriving in the Eredivisie this season after his difficult spell on loan with the club.

The former Manchester United player spent the second half of the 2022/23 campaign with the Whites in order to gain regular first team experience.

The winger made 16 appearances under Ian Evatt, with the team earning a play-off place but still narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship.

The teenager arrived with a lot of expectations after impressing at underage level for the Premier League club.

Shoretire had even made three top flight appearances prior to his move to the third tier, highlighting the potential that Man United believed he possessed.

However, it is only at PEC Zwolle this season that we are starting to see impressive form from the now 22-year-old.

Shola Shoretire’s difficult Bolton spell

Bolton were in their second season back in League One when Shoretire joined the club, with their sights set on quickly earning their place in the second division again.

Evatt’s side finished ninth in 2021/22, and were in the mix for a play-off place, which they ultimately earned with the winger in the team.

However, he was unable to make much of an impact in their pursuit of a top six finish, and he didn’t even feature in their semi-final clashes against Barnsley, which ended 2-1 in favour of the Tykes over two legs.

It wasn’t until Shoretire’s 16th and final appearance for Evatt’s side that he finally found the back of the net, scoring the first in a 3-2 win over Bristol Rovers in which their position in the table was not impacted.

While he did start 12 of his 16 games in the side, his lack of threat in the final third was telling, and it was notable that he was left out of the side for the crucial clashes against Barnsley.

There was no inherent risk for Bolton in making this signing as he was only brought in temporarily, but supporters wouldn’t have been expecting much from the forward in the following years.

And subsequently, he did leave Man United without breaking into the first team squad, but he is now starting to show his talent in the Netherlands.

Shola Shortire’s PEC Zwolle success

Following his exit from Bolton, Shoretire returned to Man United, where he spent another year competing at underage level before departing as a free agent.

The 22-year-old’s contract expired, leading to him making the move to Greek side PAOK in July 2024.

The forward made just 18 appearances in the Greek Super League in his first campaign with the club, including only five starts.

This led to PAOK agreeing to a loan deal with PEC Zwolle last summer, bringing Shoretire to Dutch football for the first time.

And the former Bolton loanee has shown that he is suited to the Eredivisie, scoring five goals from his first 19 appearances in the division.

While he initially found himself as a secondary choice, he quickly asserted himself as a key part of the side after starting just one of his first seven appearances.

Shoretire’s been in the starting lineup every game since then, and he rewarded the PEC Zwolle manager Henry van der Vegt with his first goal as a winner in their 2-1 victory over Herenveen in November.

He’s bagged four more goals since then, including a brace against AZ Alkmaar, along with an assist in their 1-0 result against Fortuna Sittard.

It will come as a surprise to Bolton fans that he is performing this well now given how little impact he had in League One just a couple of years ago.

Some supporters must be wondering what it would be like if he was performing at this level for the team now, particularly with their sights still set on the Championship all these years later under Steven Schumacher.