Bolton manager Owen Coyle says defender Gary Cahill is "in a good place" after being assured the blood clot that threatened his health has dissolved.

The central defender was admitted to hospital after complaining of tightness in his arm before Bolton's match against Fulham on 6 February.

But Coyle, who held a meeting with the 24-year-old on Monday, said: "He knows he's going to be fine long-term.

"The biggest thing in all this was Gary's well-being."

The initial prognosis suggested Cahill could miss the remainder of the season, ending his outside hopes of forcing his way into the England squad for this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

It's certainly a brighter outlook for him than it was two weeks ago Owen Coyle

But Coyle suggested the outlook was now much brighter following Cahill's visit to see a specialist.

"The specialist saw Gary on Monday and he's in a good place at the moment in terms of he's been assured that the clot's dissolved," added Coyle.

"It's certainly a brighter outlook for him than it was two weeks ago, and let's hope that in two weeks' time it's even brighter.

"It's always nice when you can see somebody physically and get to have a chat to them face to face, so my primary concern was that he was going to be OK.

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Cahill will face another scan towards the end of February and Coyle added: "He knows from speaking to the specialist that he's going to be fine long-term in terms of the blood clots.

"When he gets the green light he can be re-energised and go and get on with his career again, and there's no doubt he's going to have a wonderful career in football.

"If and when he gets that green light I know that mentally he'll be ready and it will be just a matter of making sure he's ready physically. The biggest thing in all this was Gary Cahill's well-being, and I'm reassured by the top people in that field he will be."

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