battler McKinlay MIDFIELD hard man Billy McKinlay today delivered the message all Blackburn Rovers fans want to here: 'I'll be fit and ready to start next season.'

The Scottish international midfielder has not played a first team game since April 6 last year after suffering a freak pelvic problem.

But the 31-year-old's 13-month injury nightmare now appears to be over following a successful comeback in the reserves.

Since the arrival of new manager Graeme Souness, McKinlay has managed to fight his way back following a succession of setbacks.

And now he feels fitter than at any time during the last 12 months.

"I'll be ready for the start of next season," said McKinlay, who has continued to train despite the fact the season is now over.

"I'll probably try to keep ticking over for the next couple of weeks after the boys have gone for the summer, but it will mainly be light stuff so I'll be ready for the start of next season.

"I feel good at the minute.

"Last week, I played my second full reserve game in the space of two or three weeks against Everton and I felt the sharpness starting to come back.

"Unfortunately, it came a bit too late in the season but finally I'm starting to feel back to normal and it's just a bonus to be back fit again. "The most difficult thing has been the stop-start -- playing a game or two then being back on the sidelines again.

"But this is the best I have felt in a long time."

After so many setbacks people had started to doubt whether or not McKinlay would ever pull on a first team shirt again.

But the steely Scot is determined to resurrect his Rovers career and prove the doubters wrong.

"When you've been out for over a year then there's obviously going to be doubts," said McKinlay.

"But, to be honest, with the injury I had, at no time did anybody think there was going to be any major problem.

"I just had a bit of bad luck in terms of the rehabilitation but that's all that went wrong.

"The club have been aware of everything that's happened.

"They sent me to two or three specialists just to make sure there's been nothing we've been missing and, fortunately, everything seems to be okay now."

McKinlay may be in his 30s now but he stills harbours hopes of regaining his Scotland place and he was encouraged by a recent meeting with national boss Craig Brown.

But he insists his Rovers career comes first. "First things first, I just want to make a full recovery and get back in the Rovers squad again," said McKinlay.

"It's just a matter of getting fit, first and foremost.

"But I met Craig recently at a game and he asked me how I was going and wished me a speedy recovery which was encouraging."

Rovers midfielder David Dunn has been named in the England under-21squad for the European Championships in Slovakia which start later this month.

Dunn was on stand-by for England's successful qualifying play-off against Yugoslavia but his performances for Rovers in the last few weeks of the season have earned him promotion to the full party from coach Howard Wilkinson.

Along with Premiership-bound Manchester City goalkeeper Nicky Weaver, Dunn is the only player named from a club outside the top-flight in the 20-man squad to compete in the finals between May 27 and June 4.

England under-21 squad: Weaver (Man City), Robinson (Leeds), Thompson (Liverpool), Chadwick (Man Utd), Mills (Leeds), Barry (Aston Villa), Young (Tottenham), King (Tottenham), Carragher (Liverpool), Johnson (Derby), Harley (Chelsea), Lampard (West Ham), Hendrie (Aston Villa), Murphy (Liverpool), Dunn (Blackburn), Carrick (West Ham), Bridges (Leeds), Cort (Wimbledon), Jeffers (Everton), Campbell (Middlesbrough).