WIND THE CLOCK back four years to a time when Blackburn Rovers were marooned in the old First Division.

Graeme Souness, desperate to inject some inspiration into his ailing side, swooped to sign a veteran striker who was in the twilight of his career.

And over the next six months that ageing thirty-something played a major part in transforming Rovers' fortunes on and off the pitch, culminating in promotion back to the Premiership on an unforgettable night at Deepdale the following May.

That talisman was Mark Hughes - the former Manchester United gladiator who has since returned to Blackburn as Souness's successor.

And now the new man in the Ewood hot-seat is hoping history will repeat itself again after he pounced to make a similar signing of his own earlier this week.

For certain parallels can be drawn between Hughes's arrival four years ago and that of Youri Djorkaeff, the former World Cup winner, who checked in at Ewood on Tuesday.

Like Hughes, Djorkaeff is coming towards the end of a magical career that has seen him represent some of the biggest club sides in Europe, and win some of the game's most prestigious trophies.

But the mercurial Frenchman is still an inspirational force and now Hughes is looking to the 36-year-old as the man to spark the kind of revival he himself masterminded in October 2000.

The sceptics will say, of course, that Djorkaeff is no longer the player who helped France to glory in the 1998 World Cup.

However, you only have to look the former Inter Milan star squarely in the eye to know that his desire to succeed still burns as brightly as ever.

After failing to agree terms on a contract extension with Bolton in the summer, Djorkaeff returned to France where he spent his first real spell of quality time with his family in almost a decade.

It was a liberating experience for a man whose career had taken him to Italy, Germany and then England during the intervening years.

But all the time he was meant to be relaxing, he was secretly craving a return to football and the Premiership stage he had graced so stylishly during his two years at Bolton.

"It's 10 years since I left France and my parents we're very happy to see me for the first time in a long time this summer," said Djorkaeff, who could make his Blackburn debut against Aston Villa tomorrow.

"But as much as I enjoyed it, I started to miss football too much and I began receiving offers once people realised I was not with Bolton anymore.

"There were five or six clubs who were interested, which is good because it shows that people still want you.

"I then started thinking what I wanted to do and, once I spoke to the manager here, I realised this is where I wanted to be.

"There was a big motivation to come back and play in the Premier League and that motivation is very important for a player like me.

"My career is more behind me than in front of me but I want to keep my motivation at the level it is now for as long as possible."

Djorkaeff proved something of a talisman during his previous spell in English football with Bolton.

When Sam Allardyce first took him to the Reebok from Kaiserslautern in February 2002, Wanderers were hovering precariously above the Premiership's relegation zone.

But four goals from the Frenchman in the final dozen games of that campaign ensured his new club avoided the drop and Bolton fans have barely looked back since.

"When I went to Bolton everyone said I was crazy. They only had bad words to say about the club," said Djorkaeff.

"But now, two years on, everyone speaks about Bolton in a different way and I've won my challenge, not just in England but in France and Europe as well.

"Now a lot of good players want to play for Bolton. When I first went there I was the only one. Then Jay-Jay Okocha came and Ivan Campo and now they've got other big names, too.

"So Bolton is a good memory for me but now I turn the page and I only want to think about the future.

"I'm a Blackburn player now, I've signed a contract until January, and I just want to try my best here."

If Rovers have missed one ingredient so far this season then it's a Djorkaeff-type player with the ability to unlock the Premiership's more stubborn defences.

That was never more apparent than at Charlton on Monday night where Rovers dominated possession but still slipped to a 1-0 defeat, prompting Hughes to make his move for a man who averaged nearly a goal in every other game during a three-year spell with Inter Milan in the late 1990s.

Djorkaeff is the kind of artist with the talent to transform a football match with one stroke of his brush.

In his pomp, he was the French equivalent of the Dutch maestro Dennis Bergkamp who, at 35, is still an inspirational force at Arsenal.

Now he's hoping to bring some of his famous Gallic flair to Blackburn at a time when his new club could do with a lift.

"I've only been here a day or so but there's just a feeling," said Djorkaeff, who's thrilled to be back in the North West, where his three children can continue their education.

"You can feel the atmosphere here is very positive, even though the team lost on Monday night, and that spirit is important."

If Djorkaeff's performances in a Rovers shirt are anything like as elegant as his attempts to model it were in a photo-shoot at Brockhall earlier this week then Hughes is on to a sure-fire winner.

For there's a certain panache about everything this Frenchman does which exudes confidence in those around him.

Hughes had a similar quality when he first pulled on a Rovers shirt and look what happened to the club in the 18 months after that.

The fans are now hoping history repeats itself again.