JORDAN Rhodes’ conduct before, during and after his on-off move to Hull says a lot about his character and his respect for Rovers.

Rhodes could have downed tools the moment a big move came calling.

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That never happened.

And when Rovers owners Venky’s made it clear that they had no intention of cashing in on their prized asset Rhodes could have sulked.

That never happened either.

Should a player recently rewarded with a new and improved contract have behaved in any other way? Of course not, no.

But that has not stopped many footballers before Rhodes from doing exactly the opposite.

So the praise the striker received for the refreshing professionalism he showed throughout the saga was richly deserved.

But what has been more impressive has been the way Rhodes has performed since then.

Three goals in as many games going into last night’s clash with Derby prove his predatory instincts remain as sharp as ever.

But it is the work he has been doing outside of the box – the place where he truly comes alive – that has really caught the eye.

Rhodes looks stronger and his hold-up play is getting better all the time.

Keep it up and it will spell good and bad news for Rovers in equal measure.

Good because they will have a more complete player on their hands – and bad because Hull would not be the last Premier League club to test their resolve.

Promotion this season would go a long way to making that fear redundant as Rhodes would like nothing more than to fulfil his top-flight ambition with Rovers.

It is still far too early in the campaign to suggest whether that is going to happen or not.

But make no mistake Rovers stand a much better chance of doing that with Rhodes, the player and the person, still at the club.