I’D be tempted to start Rudy Gestede against Cardiff on Friday – but only if he is fully recovered from the illness he has been suffering.

When you get the flu or a bug as a footballer you have to be very careful that you don’t come back too early.

Once the flu or bug is out of your system it takes a good few days to get going again and get your energy back.

But even when you think your energy is back, you often find you are only at 80 per cent.

Now if you go out there and try and play at 80 per cent then there is a chance it will take you longer to get back to where you want to be – 100 per cent.

Rudy has become an important player for Blackburn and they don’t want him missing a number of matches just for the sake of one game.

If they decide not to start him, I expect them to line up similar to the side that started against Stoke on Sunday.

That means a No 10, be it Tom Cairney or David Dunn, lining up behind Jordan Rhodes.

I’m not convinced Tom is a number 10, nor a winger for that matter.

I believe he is a central midfielder and, as I’ve said before in this column, it’s that area of the pitch that I believe Gary Bowyer has to get sorted going into the first game of the season against Cardiff.

It’s a great game to start with, against one of the big teams in the Championship.

They’ve come down and it’s a chance for Blackburn to put a marker down.

But I think the fans are going to have to be patient on the night.

If Blackburn can get a goal up and defend as well as they did against Stoke on Sunday then I can see them winning the game.

One player who we won’t be seeing on Friday, or again this season, is Leon Best.

Part-funding his wages while he plays for a rival is not ideal but, as I’ve said before, they had to get the unhappy players out of the dressing room to keep the camaraderie going.

Yes Blackburn have had to bite the bullet again but let’s face it, with the wages that Leon is on, at this moment in time there is nobody out there to buy him.

You’ve just got to hope that if he does well at Derby, then they may try and buy him.

By putting him out on loan Blackburn are giving him a chance to play – something that wouldn’t happen here – so you hope that if a  permanent move does come along next year, then he will help the club by taking it.