ROVERS will manage the workload of ‘class act’ Corry Evans to ensure he can play an integral role in the club’s push for promotion.

Evans continued his comeback form a long-standing groin injury with a goal and an assured performance as Rovers beat York City 8-0 on Tuesday.

Injury had restricted the Northern Irishman to just 30 minutes of first-team action in 2017, but he has played 120 minutes for Rovers so far in pre-season.

Head coach Tony Mowbray is an admirer of Evans’ talents, and praised his performance as a substitute in last Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Sparta Prague.

Rovers have a number of options in the middle of the park, following the arrivals of Peter Whittingham, Richie Smallwood, Bradley Dack and Ben Gladwin, and Mowbray is keen to utilise them all next term.

“He’s a class act,” Mowbray said of Evans.

“You can see that with his ball manipulation, the quality of his passing, the off the ball stuff when he can see things and anticipate them.

“You can see that he’s an international footballer and we’re lucky to have him.

“We need to get him fit and keep him fit.

“We’ve got lots of players who can play in there which could mean we don’t have to take Corry every week to a maximum workload and we can utilise his workload and his quality.

“We all benefit, the more good players we have on the pitch at one time the more chance we have of winning games.”

Evans has worked hard on his fitness throughout the summer in a bid to ensure he is fully fit ahead of the new season.

The 26-year-old will hope to push his claims for a starting spot further when Rovers travel to League Two side Morecambe tomorrow (7.30pm).

And Mowbray added: “I think we have to be careful with him.

“I know the injury he’s had, I had it as a young footballer myself, and it can be a very irritating, annoying and continual problem.

“We need to manage it I think.

“He’s a young lad with immense talent but we have to try and create competition so that we don’t have to depend on one midfield player.”