Scott Wharton will return to Rovers after his loan spell at Lincoln City ended following their exit from the League Two play-offs.

Wharton was an unused substitute as the Imps lost 3-1 at Exeter, ending their chances of reaching the Wembley final.

The 20-year-old played the full 90 minutes of the 0-0 draw at Sincil Bank last Saturday, but was left out for the second leg defeat.

Wharton played 15 times in all for the League Two side having joined on loan on transfer deadline day.

All but one of those came in the starting line-up and he chipped in with two goals which came in back-to-back wins over Chesterfield and Grimsby in March.

It was his second loan spell away from Ewood Park having spent the final five months of the 2016/17 campaign at Cambridge United where he impressed in his nine games.

Wharton played twice for Rovers during the course of 2017/18 which included being sent off in the Checkatrade Trophy draw at Rochdale in November. The other was in the 3-3 draw with Crewe at Ewood Park in December.

He picked up an ankle injury in pre-season which reduced his opportunities and pushed back the prospect of him leaving on loan before January.

However, he did sign a new deal in September, extending his stay at Rovers until the summer of 2020.

Speaking then of the Salesbury-born defender, boss Tony Mowbray said: “I think it’s important that you have succession lines.

“Scotty Wharton is a young lad who has some fantastic qualities. He's a winner by nature, he has a nice left foot that can pass the ball into midfield or drop it over the top.

“Like most centre-halves, his body needs to fill out, he needs to get used to the physicality required to play against different types of centre forwards, but I have every confidence and belief that the boy is going to be a really good player for this football club moving forward.

“As time rolls on, I'm pretty sure his physicality and his game knowledge will grow. I'm very confident that he'll be a fixture in the team over the coming years.”