Blackburn Rovers injury round-up ahead of Burnley derby

Rovers will play a minimum of 25 games between kick-off at Turf Moor and the next international break, underlining the winter slog that is upon them.

To manage that, they will need to utilise their squad, which looks far better on the injury front than it has previously.

Here is a round-up on the latest from the treatment room and when each player might return.

Ryoya Morishita - Ankle

Morishita has been missing for the last four matches and was ruled out for around one month after going off at West Brom.

That made him touch and go for the Burnley derby but Tony Mowbray is optimistic he'll be fit for the trip to Turf Moor.

"The medical department are telling me he should be fit," Mowbray revealed.

"He's alright, he's as happy and smiley and as wonderful a human being as he's always been, and he's quite positive that he wants to be ready for that game, so fingers crossed."

Mathias Jorgensen - Thigh

It has been a difficult season for Jorgensen, who will also not be far away by the time Burnley rolls around.

The striker has suffered with hamstring injuries and then injured his thigh at the end of a training session. He was given some time off to mentally reset, having been ruled out for around three weeks.

"I've given him a few days to see his family and recover because it's been a pretty tough journey that he's had," he said.

"Then to break down when he was on the cusp of getting back to full fitness is tough for him.

"Hopefully it's only another three weeks or something like that, and he'll be back on the grass again but it's just tough."

That was after West Brom too and so it means he should have a chance of featuring at Burnley, though Mowbray will undoubtedly be cautious using him.

(Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)

Matty Litherland - Back

Litherland feels like Rovers' forgotten man and yet he might be very important over this next block of fixtures.

He hasn't featured at all since going off in pre-season during their trip to Portugal. He's had a back problem which has kept him out but, fingers crossed, he is now ready to return.

Litherland will feature for the Under-21s this week against Manchester City. If he comes through that unscathed, he will give Mowbray another welcome option at right-back.

Ryan Alebiosu - Knee

Alebiosu's knee injury is the newest setback for Rovers and it is a sizeable one.

Despite a history of muscle injuries, he has stayed largely fit throughout his Ewood Park stint but now faces a spell on the sidelines.

He is looking at three to four months out, with surgery scheduled to rectify the issue. It leaves a big hole on the Rovers' right and will probably rule him out until the final month of the season.

Adam Forshaw - Hip

Forshaw remains on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his hip.

That has been described as a long-term injury, with no timeframe given on when he'll be back.

It is obviously a big miss given Rovers' lack of experience in central midfield. With his contract up next summer, it also puts pressure on time-wise for him to prove himself to earn another year.

Lewis Miller - Achilles

Miller remains Rovers' long-term absentee. The hope is that he will be back training around Christmas, though he will obviously need plenty of time after such a serious injury.

"Maybe another six-to-eight weeks for Lewis," Mowbray said at the weekend.

"They're all in the dressing room, they're all part of this group, they're all part of this squad and it's quite a tight-knit group, which is evident, I think."