DAVID Dunn has described the departure of Mark Hughes as a massive blow' - but he has backed John Williams and the Rovers board to appoint a top-class replacement.

Dunn spoke for the majority of the dressing room last night when he said he was gutted' to learn that Hughes had agreed to become the new manager of Manchester City.

However, the 28-year-old, who was brought back to Ewood by Hughes 18 months ago, insists Rovers must now move on and focus on finding a suitable candidate to build on the Welshman's legacy.

"It's a massive blow," said Dunn.

"He brought most of the players to the club, including me, and it's very disappointing to see him leave.

"He's built a good team here and it's a big shame that he won't be staying on to take us forwards.

"But he's gone now and the club has to move on without him.

"It's not the first time John Williams has had to look for a new manager, and I'm sure he will come up trumps again."

Hughes was formally unveiled as City's new manager at a press conference on Thursday, having agreed terms on a contract worth £9 million over the next three years.

And with assistant manager Mark Bowen, first team coach Eddie Niedzwiecki, and goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock, all joining Hughes at Eastlands as well, Dunn believes the loss of the quartet will leave Rovers with a massive void to fill.

"A lot of what we've achieved over the last couple of years is down to Mark and his backroom staff," said the midfielder.

"The preparation they put into things on a day-to-day basis is second to none, and it's going to be a hard job to replace them.

"In my opinion, Mark is also the top manager in the transfer market as well, which obviously helps when you've got limited resources like we have.

"On a personal level, he also helped me regain my appetite for the game when he brought me back to the club from Birmingham.

"I wasn't having a good time there, but he showed faith in me by bringing me back to Rovers, and I'll always be grateful to him for that."

Having witnessed the impact Hughes made at Rovers during his time in charge, Dunn felt the 44-year-old was always destined to move on to a bigger club eventually, but he expected it to be a Manchester United or Chelsea, rather than City, who, despite the financial backing of Thaksin Shinawatra, finished below Rovers in the Premier League table last season.

Dunn added: "He's an ambitious guy and I could have seen him going to Chelsea, because I think he deserves the chance to work at that level.

"But going to City is a bit different because, in many respects, they are probably in the same boat as ourselves.

"The important thing for us now is we can't afford to stand still. We've not just lost a manager, it's the staff he'll take with him as well, so we face a big rebuilding job."