Tony Mowbray says it is down to Jack Rodwell to ‘grab the opportunity’ he’s been handed at Rovers.

Rodwell’s career has stalled during a tumultuous four years at Sunderland which saw him play just 44 times and Mowbray wants to help the 27-year-old rediscover the form that saw him earn three caps for England and twice command transfer fees in excess of £10m.

It is Rodwell’s reported £70,000 a week wages at Sunderland, rather than his football, that have hit the headlines in recent years, but Mowbray says Rovers have signed a footballer whose ability cannot be questioned.

“We’re getting a £15m footballer from a few years ago, a lad who has played for England and worn the Three Lions. Why? Because he was talented, not because anyone was doing him a favour,” Mowbray said of his new signing.

“He’s a good enough footballer and he has to show us, show our supporters and show people that he cares. We’ve given him an opportunity and it’s down to him to grab it.

“I look at the footballer and see a lad who cost £15m from Everton to Manchester City and then £10m to Sunderland, he played for England three times.

“I know all about the negativity from his period at Sunderland, we’ve all seen the numbers, but I’m not interested in that, I’m interested in today, now, the future and potentially giving him an opportunity to see if he can do it on the grass.

“We shouldn’t question his ability. When I watched his video clips from our recruitment department and the analysis from his game time, he’s athletic, he tackles, he’s big, strong, heads it, has two wonderful feet, all the qualities of a footballer who has played at the highest level.

“For me it’s about whether he can recapture it and whether he has got it in his belly to show people he’s still a very good player. It’s down to him now. He’s here on a short-term deal and let’s see how he gets on.”

Rodwell made his debut for Everton as a 16-year-old and played 109 times for the Toffees before a switch to Manchester City.

He played 25 times for the Etihad club and joined Sunderland, who left earlier this summer, in 2014.

Mowbray added: “For me he’s just another footballer who has to try and get in this team.

“I’m fully aware of his past and fully aware of his recent years.

“Let’s just give him an opportunity as a human being and hopefully he can kick-start his career and if he does, then great.

“If he doesn’t then nothing is lost. It’s not as though we are paying him a Kings ransom, we are well within our grounds, it’s not an expensive deal for us.

“He missed a lot of football, for whatever reason, whether because of injury or trying to remove him from a club because of a salary level that wasn’t his fault. He was given that salary and it was a situation that arose at his last football club.

“But he’s here now, let’s see how he gets on. I’m not pre-judging him.”

And Mowbray says his conversations with Rodwell have all been about football, not finance.

“That’s what my discussions have been with the boy, about football and only football, whether he wants to be a footballer and show people he can play,” he added.

“He’s a very talented individual, let’s see if he can recapture what he had. I haven’t looked too deeply in to the reasons why he only played one game for Sunderland last season.

“There was no talk about finance and money with him, it was about playing and whether he felt this was a good place for him to come.

“I’ve talked to him about the competition to get in this team and he will relish this challenge.

“He’s got a long journey ahead of him to train, play, get involved and let’s see how he does among this group.”