Scott Wharton has signed a new three-year deal at Rovers – less than 12 months after agreeing his last contract extension.

The young defender has been rewarded for his progress with fresh terms as he commits his future at Ewood until 2021.

Wharton finished last season on loan at Lincoln City in League Two, his second temporary spell away from Ewood Park.

That followed on six months with Cambridge United in the fourth tier in 2017 and a further loan spell could follow for the 20-year-old this season, with Rovers keen for him to gain League One experience while Lincoln retain an interest in bringing him back to Sincil Bank.

And whether at Rovers or out on loan, Wharton is aiming to rack up the appearances next term.

 “I went to Lincoln, played regular football, enjoyed it massively and we just missed out on promotion via the play-offs in League Two,” he said.

“I got a really good run of games and we just missed out in the end. Aside from that I really enjoyed it.

 “I’m still only young, I’m still leaning and hungry to become a better player.

“My aim is to play 30 or 40 games next season, whether that’s here at Ewood Park or somewhere else on loan.”

Wharton, who travelled with the first-team squad to Austria last month, has been involved in both pre-season friendlies to date, starting the opening game at Hibernian and coming off the bench at Port Vale.

He played just twice for the Rovers first-team last season, but has made six appearances in all since his debut in August 2016 against Burton.

And he admits it was an easy decision to extend his stay at the club having come through the Academy at Rovers.

He added: “I’m absolutely delighted to commit my future for the next three years. I couldn’t be happier here.

 “It works both ways - I’m working hard every day trying to improve and I think the club see that from me. I grew up supporting Blackburn and have always wanted to play for my hometown team.

 “It was an up and down season for me. Obviously the start of the season didn’t begin well for me with injuries and getting sent off against Rochdale early on, but the second part of it was much better.”

 “It was a good test for me, after all nobody wants to get sent off 20 minutes into a game, but hopefully that never happens again and I learn from that.”