WHO knows? Newcastle United’s £4.5m offer for Grant Hanley may be their final one.

Or maybe the Magpies will come back with a third bid that tempts Blackburn Rovers into reluctantly selling yet another winner of that damned player of the year prize.

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You would not blame Rovers for holding out for a big fee for Hanley. Not only because of his quality and his potential but also because of the prices that are being quoted elsewhere.

Take Michael Keane. He has proven himself an excellent player, firstly at Ewood Park and now at Turf Moor. But is he really worth £15m?

And if he is, then how much for Hanley? A player of a comparable age but with more appearances on both the domestic and international stages.

But whether the captain stays or go life must go on for Rovers.

And, as one look at the make-up of the side which finished Saturday’s pre-season opener at SV Ried shows, it surely will.

David Raya, Adam Henley, Scott Wharton, Ryan Nyambe, Jack Doyle, Lewis Hardcastle, John O’Sullivan and Connor Mahoney all came through the club’s youth ranks. As did Jason Lowe and Darragh Lenihan, who were taken off earlier in the match.

And as did Hanley.

Now the likes of Wharton, Nyambe, Doyle, Hardcastle and Mahoney have a long way to go to reach the Scotland international’s level. As highly rated as they, some may never get there.

But, whoever is in charge of the club, and whoever owns the club, it is imperative that Rovers keep the Brockhall production line rolling.

And, as Saturday shows, it is in good working order.

That said it would be unfair to expect Wharton, for example, who certainly did not look out of place at the Keine Sorgen Arena, to fill Hanley’s shoes immediately. Like his fellow Academy graduates, he needs time to grow.

Therefore if Rovers do lose their skipper this summer they need to use the money generated by his sale not only to bring down the club’s yearly losses, but also bring in an experienced replacement.

And, if they get the going rate, then there should be change left over to do that.

But at the same time Rovers must also continue to blood young players, when the time is right, in an attempt to develop the next Hanley, the next Lowe, the next Henley, the next Lenihan.

And, again, as Saturday shows, there are plenty waiting in the wings.