RICARDO Santos was withdrawn at half time in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Cambridge United because of a persistent injury, Ian Evatt confirmed.

The centre-half struggled in the opening 45 minutes at the Toughsheet Stadium and was replaced by Will Forrester at the break.

Santos had played 90 minutes against Lincoln City in the Vertu Trophy in midweek but Evatt revealed the centre-half had been dealing with a persistent “issue” which has been managed in recent weeks.

Speaking to The Bolton News, the Bolton boss said: “It's an injury that he's been carrying. It's an overload injury more than anything else. It's nothing, I would say, muscular.

“It's more the volume that we have to manage. As I said, today, he just didn't recover, which has not been like the previous weeks where he's always been fine when his training load has been managed, being able to recover for match days. But today, that wasn't the case.

“He didn't feel like he could run the same way. And it was important that we made the change at half time.”

Evatt was concerned about the defending for both of Cambridge’s first half goals, which he said contributed to a frustrated mood around the stadium.

“I think it's becoming an issue,” he said. “We've always been a team that can score.

“But we've given ourselves too much to do. We've given ourselves a lot of hard work. And in many ways, because of the way we started today and conceded that early goal, we then allow that negativity to creep in from everywhere and everyone.

“And that's our fault. We have to defend the first three minutes of the game better, to start better. We're always going to be dangerous from set plays.

“And we just give too many away and then deal with it. But, as I said, the players kept going. They showed some good qualities and some good detail.

“We're having to probe and do things our way against 10 men behind the ball. There's no point in launching it long. You do that, they'll win the first contact and then they'll break on us and counter.

“We have to work our way in and work them. Always our way has been, if we're going to be possession dominant, we have to make that possession pay. We make that pay by not allowing the opposition to score the first goal.

“And if we don't get the first goal early in games, then they become fatigued and tired in the second half of games. And we can start then to take over and create the chances and opportunities. Today, we didn't give ourselves that chance.”

Wanderers had 77 per cent possession in the second half of the game but struggled to break Cambridge down to create many meaningful goalscoring chances.

Marko Marosi made one excellent double save from Aaron Collins and Joel Randall but the Whites were largely kept at distance until they snatched an equaliser at the bitter end.

Evatt hinted that he could be looking for a different type of striker in the January window which could allow his side to go ‘more direct’ on such occasions.

“It's hard when there's so many players behind the ball,” he said. “That box is full. We haven't got the personnel as it stands to be able to cross from deeper, cross from wide areas.

“We have to work our way in because we haven't got anyone, that old-fashioned centre-forward who can peel off the back of defenders and go and win an aerial duel and head it in. That might change. We're trying to give ourselves different plans and different opportunities to be able to do that.

“Hopefully, we can do that business that we need to in this window.”