OWEN Coyle hopes Scott Wharton can come back from his loan spell with Cambridge United ready to push to be a regular Blackburn Rovers first-team player.

Wharton joined the League Two side on loan last week until the end of the season having not featured for Rovers since September.

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The 19-year-old was handed his debut by Coyle in the 2-2 draw with Burton on August 20, and he made one further Championship appearance as well as two in the EFL Cup.

He has also featured in all of Rovers’ Checkatrade Trophy games, but has been allowed to go out on loan in a bid to gain some more valuable experience.

Coyle said: “Scott Wharton needs to play games.

“He played a few games for us at the start of the season when we were struggling with injuries and he did okay.

“He’s still got a lot to learn.

“But the thinking was that he will now get some league football under his belt and when he comes back to the club he will be ready to push to be a bona fide first-team player.

“We had Charlie (Mulgrew), Darragh (Lenihan), Gordon (Greer) and Wes (Brown), plus Tommie Hoban being back in the next four or five weeks, so that then allowed Scott to go and get game-time and that’s what the thinking was behind that.”

Under-23s boss Damien Johnson believes it is the right move for the teenager’s development, adding: “I think it’s a good challenge for Scott at a good level.

“Cambridge are a good club who are on the up and it is probably what he needs.

“Scott has had a first-team football but of late hasn’t been playing.

“Naturally he wants a little bit more so when we can’t provide that for him, the natural step is for him to go out and get some games.”