In an interview with the club website, Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray revealed that midfielder Jack Rodwell could make his first team debut on Tuesday night in Rovers’ Carabao Cup tie against Premier League side Bournemouth.
Rodwell played a full ninety minutes against Arsenal for Rovers’ development side last week, and is set to be among the squad travelling to the Vitality Stadium to face high-flying Bournemouth in the Second Round of the Carabao Cup.
The former Sunderland midfielder signed for Rovers last month, and has spent his first few weeks at Ewood Park rebuilding his fitness after making his last first team appearance on November 8th 2017 against Grimsby Town in the EFL Trophy.
Mowbray said:
“First and foremost it was important psychologically for Jack to get a game and get 90 minutes under his belt last week against Arsenal. The game got a bit feisty towards the end and it was a good match for him to be involved in,”
“Arsenal were good on the ball but Jack showed his fluency across the ground, his mobility and composure on the ball. He coped with situations well and defended well.
“This weekend is a bit too soon for him, but Bournemouth on a Tuesday night may give him an opportunity. When these games come around we need to think about our squad.
“We’d like to go there and play our strongest squad. Bournemouth may make changes but it seems to me that an opportunity is there to get Jack involved in the first team and should there be no issues in training I see that as a real possibility.”
Mowbray added that Rodwell may be utilised at the back as well as in the centre of the park:
“Jack can play both positions well. I’ve seen his clips and he’s been throwing himself into tackles and shown what he can do. He can play in midfield and play at the back in the centre. That versatility is nice for us to have.”
Team news will be announced an hour before kick-off tomorrow, and fans will be eager to see if Rodwell will be making his long awaited debut for Rovers in the cup tie against Bournemouth.
