On-loan midfielder aiming to make his debut this weekend against his former club
Jacob Butterfield is confident that he can make a positive contribution during his loan spell with Bolton Wanderers, although the midfielder insists he is initially looking no further than his month-long stay in the North-West.
The 22-year-old joined the Trotters last Thursday from Norwich City and was on the bench for last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Blackpool.
He could be handed his debut against Barnsley on Saturday - the club he represented 100 times during a five-year stay at Oakwell.
“I had my first training session last Friday and it is understandable really that I was on the bench last Saturday, but I have come here to get games in,” said the Bradford –born man.
“It is a bit coincidental that Saturday will be against Barnsley, but hopefully it will be my debut for Bolton and hopefully I can have a good game.
“It will be interesting for me to play against some old faces and playing against them will be a bit strange, but it is a game that I am looking forward to.
“I still keep in touch with the manager and players, so it is going to be really good to see them at the game, but I don’t want that to distract from the main thing.
“We have to get the three points for Bolton, and I’m looking forward to having a big impact on the team and showing people what I can do.”
Should Butterfield get a run-out against Keith Hill’s men, it would represent his first league outing in nearly 11 months, after spending the second-half of last season out injured with a knee injury.
He joined Norwich in the summer but has so far only managed two Capital One Cup outings with the Canaries.
“I feel good now and I feel like I am ready to play games,” added Butterfield. “Hopefully I will get the minutes I need here and get us back up the league.
“I have been training with Norwich for a couple of weeks and played a few reserve and cup games but I just haven’t found the rhythm of playing matches, so I hope to get that sharpness back.
“Hopefully this will be a beneficial month for me and that I can get back up to speed and go back to Norwich in a month and get back into the team, but you never know in football.
“I have really enjoyed so far, so if I was to stay longer I would definitely not be against it as it is a fantastic club.”