Tony Mowbray is ready to let Joe Rothwell ‘off the leash’ after revealing an improvement in the 23-year-old’s physical data.

Rothwell hasn’t featured in either of Rovers’ last two games, despite impressing in his seven appearances after a summer move from Oxford United.

He came through what he described as the toughest pre-season of his career after joining up with the rest of the Rovers squad for their training camp in Austria in June.

Mowbray previously stated that Rothwell had to improve on his physical output to regain his spot having not started a league game since the win over Brentford.

And the Ewood chief said the former Manchester United youngster has responded and is firmly in his thoughts ahead of the trip to Stoke City.

He said: “Rothwell, what a talent, I see him every day in training how fast he is with the ball and how he can beat a man.

“Yet at the moment he can’t get in the team but it’s a long season and he will be given an opportunity.

“What he has to needs to add is a defensive instinct, run back, tackle, stay on your feet and show people away from where the danger is and learn all of that. I think he’s taken that on board.

“We had some fitness work done last week and he’s come out as athletically the second best at our football club and he was a million miles away from that when he first arrived.

“Is he nearly there? I think so. I keep talking to him because I don’t want him to get down.

“He’s like a pitbull on a leash and I’m just ready to let him off and see how he goes.

“I hope for him that when he gets the opportunity to play he’s going to do well and then make it really difficult for me to leave him out of the team.”

Mowbray said he has spoken with Rothwell to explain his position, adding: “That’s my management style, I care about my players.

“I don’t bring them to football clubs to sit them on the bench.

“They have to understand there’s an adaptation period, understand they have to sit and listen in my meetings, listen to me screaming at players and giving advice, and they have to be clever enough to take it on board.

“What I would have to say about Rothwell is that physically he was nowhere near what was required, he was here because of the talent I could see in his feet, his dribbling, his running with the ball.

“I just saw someone that we could mould in to a really talented wide player or central attacking player to run with the ball.

“If you’re playing against teams with immobile central midfield players then you can play him in central midfield and he can run past them like they’re not there and straight at the backline.”

Mowbray said similar things of Rothwell’s former Oxford team-mate Jack Payne who spent the second half of last season at Ewood Park.

Rovers opted against trying to secure a permanent move for the Huddersfield Town playmaker who subsequently joined Bradford City on loan.

But having signed Rothwell on a three-year deal in June the boss is anticipating a bright future for one of his summer recruits

“I liked Jack Payne and he did well for us,” Mowbray added. “But they are all calls you make. Would he have made a difference for us? I don’t know. Did he get the opportunity? No. We went down other routes.

“Rothwell will be given every opportunity to try and get in the team and play in the Championship week in week out and he knows he’s here for the long-term and has to adapt and when given the opportunity he has to adapt.”