BLACKBURN Rovers teenager Lewis Hardcastle will experience first-team football for the first time after being sent on loan to Salford City.

The 17-year-old will spend the next month with the Evo-Stik League Premier Division outfit who are part-owned by former Manchester United stars Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and Gary and Phil Neville.

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Rovers head of academy Eric Kinder said: “We think Lewis will benefit from having a month at men’s football.

“Salford are an up and coming side and it is well documented who their owners are.

“They approached us and asked to take him so we were more than happy as it can only be good for his development.”

Hardcastle, a tenacious midfielder with an eye for goal, enjoyed an excellent first season in the Rovers Academy.

He made 23 appearances for the under-18s, scoring twice, before breaking through into the U21s, impressing off the bench in the second leg of the heartbreaking U21s Premier League Cup final defeat to Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium, and captaining the development side in their final game of the campaign.

So far this season Hardcastle has made three appearances for the U21s and four for the U18s.