Tony Mowbray insists captain Charlie Mulgrew won’t be available for international duty with Scotland if he doesn’t play for Rovers tomorrow.

Rovers’ medical team have been cautious over the knock to the ribs sustained by Mulgrew against West Brom on October 27 given the closeness of the injury to his liver.

The 32-year-old missed last weekend’s win over QPR but has been named in the Scotland squad for upcoming games with Albania and Israel.

The defender remains a doubt for Rovers’ game with Rotherham tomorrow, with Mowbray revealing club and country medical teams have been in touch over Mulgrew.

“That sort of stuff is generally done pretty officially with signed forms and stuff from doctor to doctor, and physio to physio,” Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph. 

“I’m just trying to make my physio aware when he’s filling these forms, if Charlie can’t play for us this weekend, and he didn’t play last weekend, that he cannot be going to Scotland because we need him really.

“He is our captain, he is our leader, we don’t need him going away and creating more of a problem than what he’s already got.”

Mulgrew last month praised Mowbray’s approach for not standing in the way of players going away on international duty. But the Ewood boss also hinted that some of his other internationals, Corry Evans, Darragh Lenihan and Derrick Williams, could also be carrying knocks.

“There’s a few players that fall into that category I have to say at the moment,” said Mowbray.

“I have always let my players go and play for their countries, I have never been a manager who’s said ‘let’s pretend you’re a bit sorer than you actually are’.

“If he isn’t ready and available to us, then he shouldn’t be going away with his country.”

Mulgrew has 39 caps for his country and been a regular under current boss Alex McLeish.

He missed three games for Rovers between the September and October international breaks through injury, but was still part of the Scotland team which fell to defeat in Israel last month.

However, the defender was forced off at half-time with a hamstring injury having earlier scored from the spot.

On the possible involvement of Mulgrew this weekend, Mowbray said: “Charlie joined in the training again (on Thursday), but he didn’t join in fully.

“I think it’s a wait and see. He had another scan last night, and if the scan results are okay and the specialists are happy with him, then he can play.

“If he plays great, if he doesn’t we got a clean sheet last week and hopefully we do the same this week.”

Mulgrew is keen to feature for both club and country but Rovers have erred on the side of caution so to not cause further injury.

“The medical department, and to be honest above the medical department, are erring on the side of caution I think,” the boss added.

“People who spend however many years of their life going to university and medical school, being doctors and then getting themselves to situations where they are specialists in certain subjects.

“They are telling us that we have to err on the side of caution with this particular injury.

“It’s not something like giving him a jab and he will be all right, the pain will go away.

“As I said, Charlie is desperate to play, but we have to bow to people who are much cleverer than us and medical people who are above the physiotherapy department at this football club.”