The former Southampton striker spent the whole of last season out on loan with Cambridge United, scoring five times in 30 appearances in all competitions.
N’Lundulu cost Bolton a reported £350,000 in the summer of 2023 and was likened to England striker Ivan Toney by former boss Ian Evatt, owing to the fact he had been a late bloomer in the game after spending a long time in the Saints’ academy.
Some badly timed injuries wrecked his chances of settling at the Toughsheet, however, and even after a solid start for Cambridge last season, another spell on the sidelines with a minor hamstring tear interrupted interest from a League Two club who wanted to sign him on a permanent basis.
Nlundulu is now fit again but Steven Schumacher has confirmed that he is not currently in his plans to feature regularly next season.
Carlos Mendes Gomes could also be made available, and though the Spanish midfielder is expected to be fit for the start of pre-season, the Bolton boss says he must prove himself over the next couple of months before being factored back into this thinking.
“At the end of last season we had some conversations with players, and Dan N’Lundulu is someone I didn’t see because he was out on loan.
“Carlos is obviously someone I did work with, and I have said on record a few times that I think he is a good player. But he has got a lot to do to keep himself fit, first and foremost, and prove that he can get to the form that I remember him seeing him at.
“Carlos will be coming back with us in pre-season, but Dan is a player that I spoke to and said: ‘If there are options out there, you could maybe explore them.”
Carlos Mendes Gomes must prove his fitness to Steven Schumacher to stay in his first team plansCarlos Mendes Gomes must prove his fitness to Steven Schumacher to stay in his first team plans (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker)
Schumacher has brought in four players this summer, although Charlie Warren – the exciting and prolific young striker recruited from non-league Felixstowe and Waltham – will be given a few weeks in the first team environment before deciding on his next step, which could yet be a loan or a spell in the B Team.
Last season’s first team squad had Josh Sheehan, now 30, as its oldest member and the 23-year-old Will Forrester as the youngest, but the club is looking to broaden the range this summer.
Schumacher admits he could bring in at least one more player in the coming weeks with significant experience, alongside younger additions like goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe, who is set to join the club on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
“I don't think it's about just reducing the age, because we have no over-30 players, so if there's room to bring in a really experienced one who's going to add to the squad, which bumps your average age up, then that's OK,” he said.
“What we said we wanted to do is get a better balance in the squad, we had everybody in the middle, peak ages, so we will try and bring in some young talent who we think we can develop.
“That's one of my strengths, is working with these young players and trying to get them to reach their full potential, and that adds a resale value for the club, which I think is a good business model.
“We will try and do that where we can, but as I said, if there's experienced ones, or even players who are in the prime, like Richard Taylor, we'll do that as well, but we just want a good balance.”
Sporting director Fergal Harkin has outlined the club’s plan to “create space” for younger players and improve the pathway between the academy and first team.
The likes of David Abimbola, Sonny Sharples-Ahmed and Sam Inwood were brought into the first team fold last season, mainly to cover for injuries and in the cup competitions.
The plan for Bolton is to operate with around 22 or 23 senior options this season, with youngsters from the B Team and Under-18s given good exposure, to fully assess whether they can handle the demands.
Schumacher has confirmed that he plans to play a different formation than the one he finished last season but he is keen to give chances to the homegrown players who prove themselves on the training ground.
“That has got to the be the way,” he said. “I have always been someone who has given chances to young players when they have earned them. It makes sense.
“Getting that energy and enthusiasm into the team can be really important sometimes, so we want the young players at this club to know they will always have that chance and opportunity.”