Adam Owen says Jordan Rhodes’ new role as loan manager will be “fundamental” as Rovers aim to keep producing young talent.
Rhodes’ return to Ewood Park was confirmed last week to help the Academy graduates take their first steps into senior football.
The 35-year-old had a number of loans during his career and now has the chance to pass on his experience and knowledge to the next generation.
Owen hopes that more youngsters can follow in the footsteps of Kristi Montgomery, who made the step up at the back end of last season following spells in the non-league pyramid.
“I think it is a real fundamental role within the club,” he told RoversTV. “The way we have really focused the strategy and sustainability elements of the club, and what we are trying to achieve.
“One of the reasons for the project I came into was really about trying to develop the next crop of players coming through.
“We think that role is really fundamental because the opportunity for players to go out and gain exposure playing senior football will accelerate their development.
“We have seen already with the likes of Kristi, who went to Marine, came back and went to Chorley at a higher level.
“He came back and made his debut and ever since then, he has grown and got stronger. He has got used to the senior training environment.
“That is a perfect scenario for us. Now it is about getting more and more players through that system.”
The youth teams continue to play an important role in player development, but Owen believes that experience of first team football is vital for those looking to make the step up to the Championship.
“To bridge that gap, we feel the next step for us is to accelerate the development by getting players out on loan.
“Jordan obviously knows the club very well and had a lot of loans as a player himself. The role of the loan manager, especially with the way we develop in the club, is really to bridge that gap and hopefully get more younger players into the squad as fast as possible.”
Connor O’Riordan has been earning rave reviews on loan at Doncaster, who have made a strong start to life back in League One.
The young centre-back had a tough stint at Cambridge last term but a return to Crewe helped him rediscover his best form.
“There is no substitute for playing senior football,” said Owen. “Val (Ismael) always says the pitch doesn’t lie. You have to go out there and experience it.
“For us, we see that as a stepping stone into the senior squad, especially for our high potential players that we feel have got an opportunity.
“Last year, we had a few players out on loan in various divisions. Some of them were positive, some were negative.
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“But every loan is a learning curve, whether it is positive or negative, you have to learn from it.”
Ismael also feels that loans are an important part of developing young talent and bringing players through to the senior ranks.
The head coach says Rovers need to make sure they are finding the right moves for players, considering factors such as the playing style and whether it would help prepare them for future opportunities at Ewood Park.
“You have to find a club who may be playing the same way we want to play and training the way we want to train,” he explained.
“To play in a team where you are on the front foot, you want to be aggressive, play with energy, that makes more sense for our young players rather than being in a team where you sit in a low block and don’t have the ball.
“If you don’t have the ball, we can’t see our players in the real situation, just defending the box. On the high level it is not enough, so the next step is to pick the right club for our players to prove that they are able to play with us and get that experience they need to play in senior football.
“It is the most challenging thing to do – which club, which division. If you can get League One, it is perfect.
“League Two is good. Below that, we have to be really selective over what is the best for us to protect our players.”
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