Erhun Oztumer must regain match fitness before he can be selected, Lee Bowyer has said.

Although he is eligible to play immediately, the trip to Barnsley came too soon for the Addicks’ 13th summer signing and he won’t be involved in the midweek clash with Nottingham Forest on Wednesday either.

Oztumer, who signed a two-year deal at The Valley after leaving Bolton Wanderers, will have his fitness levels assessed next week but competition for places in midfield means Bowyer is at ease with the situation.

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Speaking after the 2-2 draw at Oakwell, the Charlton boss said: “It’s too soon [for Oztumer to play]. He only trained yesterday, we didn’t really do much, so it’s a case of seeing where he is this week on Monday and Tuesday and seeing, fitness-wise, where he’s at.

“As soon as he’s fit enough then he’ll be involved but, again, at the moment, we’re strong in the midfield and attacking areas so we don’t have to rush it.

“I’ll pick the right people in the right state, if you like, to be in the squad for matchdays.”

Oztumer, 28, often dubbed the ‘Turkish Messi’, has returned to Charlton after he left the club’s youth setup at 16.

He made his senior debut at Turkish outfit Anadolu Uskudar before enjoying spells at Dulwich Hamlet, Peterborough United, Walsall and Bolton.

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Bowyer said Oztumer could be an “exciting” addition to the squad, before adding: “[He’s] similar to Jonny Williams, exciting in possession and clever.

“[He] can finish, can score goals, can create goals. He’s going to be a very good addition to the squad because it’s a long season and we’ve got good players that can hurt teams when we get possession of the ball.

“I’m looking forward to working with him. He obviously trained a little bit yesterday [on Friday, before the Barnsley game] but he didn’t look too fit.

“I don’t know what he’s done in preseason, and when he was at Bolton I don’t know what’s been their situation there, but he needs to catch up fitness-wise with us because, as you can tell, we’re very, very fit.

“He’s definitely going to have to catch up.”