BLACKBURN Rovers fans have been told to expect plenty of excitement at Ewood Park next season following the appointment of Paul Ince as the club's new manager.

Ince was formally installed as Rovers' new boss yesterday after he shook hands on a three-year deal with chairman John Williams.

And Pete Winkelman, the man who arguably knows more about Ince's managerial capabilities than anyone, reckons Rovers have hired a natural-born winner to replace Mark Hughes in the Ewood Park hot-seat.

The MK Dons chairman says he is devastated to have lost Ince to Rovers, just weeks after the former England and Manchester United star led his club to a league and cup double in League Two.

However, Winkelman insists he always knew Ince had the X factor to manage at the highest level, and now he has got that chance, he is backing the 40-year-old to be a big success in the Premier League.

"I've got mixed emotions," said Winkelman, speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Telegraph.

"On the one hand, I've lost someone who has made such a massive difference to our football club, but on the other, I'm really excited because this is a great opportunity for him to show what he can do. Paul Ince is a winner and he gets his teams playing great football. Ewood Park is going to be an exciting place to be next season.

"He got us playing exciting, high-tempo football and not only was it successful, it brought the crowds in too.

"Even the players who weren't in our starting eleven used to want to come in and do well, because he created a great team ethic and that was a big part of our success."

Although Ince's only previous managerial experience consists of two seasons in League Two, with Macclesfield Town and the MK Dons respectively, Winkelman is in no doubt Rovers' new boss has what it takes to cut it in the Premier League.

He said: "When I met Paul for the first time the thing that struck me was he had no fear.

"People say he's got no experience of managing in the top-flight, but Paul Ince has probably got more top-flight experience than anyone else you could care to mention.

"The question was could he cut it at the other end of the spectrum? And he's proved categorically that he can over the last two years.

"Not many people with his background would have started off in the lower leagues like he has, but he did and he proved he could cut it, and that speaks volumes for him.

"When I hired him, I knew that if he did well for us he wouldn't be here for long. As early as October, he was being touted to go to Derby, and ever since then his name has been linked with virtually every job that has come up.

"I managed to fight all of them off, but Blackburn is different class and once they came in he was always going to want to go."

A forward thinking manager very much in the Hughes mould, Ince wasted little time in building an impressive reputation for himself in the lower leagues, first saving Macclesfield from relegation to the Nationwide Conference, then he guided MK Dons to the League Two title and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last term.

Like Hughes, he embraces sports science and, according to Winkelman, has a happy knack of getting players to perform to their maximum.

"He will take in all the sports science side of things - we had all that here," said the MK Dons chief.

"Preparation is important to him, and he places great emphasis on creating the right environment.

"But his main focus is on his players and how they perform.

"He encourages players to play to the best of their ability and take responsibility on the football pitch.

"Because he's young, he can also relate to his players, and that helps him get the best out of them."

He added: "It wouldn't surprise me at all if Paul went on to manage England one day - he's got that special something about him.

"He's now on the big stage, which is where he should be, and if he proves his worth then why not?

"He certainly won't be fazed by the thought of managing in the Premier League. He has no fear."