With former captain Grant Hanley on Rovers’ radar, which other players have had an Ewood reunion?

Grant Hanley could join an exclusive club should Rovers firm up their interest in the former club captain.

He wouldn’t be the first player to make a Rovers return, with differing successes along the way.

Three members of the current squad, Adam Armstrong, Harry Chapman and Danny Graham, made permanent moves after initial loan spells and that club isn’t quite so exclusive. But those to have had two separate spells, with at least one club in-between, the numbers do dwindle.

John Byrom isn’t the first player whose second spell at the club signalled the end of his career.

The forward enjoyed a prolific spell at the club between 1961 and 1966, Blackburn-born Byrom netting 64 goals.

He spent a decade at Bolton, having moved for £25,000, but his best years were behind him when he came back to Ewood in September 1976, retiring just a year later.

Stuart Metcalfe was another homegrown talent to feature for Rovers, his playing career taking in three decades.

The midfielder, who represented England at schoolboy level, helped Rovers to Third Division title in 1974/75.

He moved to Carlisle in 1980 and after a spell in America, returned to Rovers in in October 1982 for a spell as a non-contract player but made just one appearance.

Another Blackburn-born entry is Fred Pickering. He was first at Rovers between 1956 and 1964, netting 23 goals in 36 games in 1962/63, earning England youth honours.

Everton snapped him up for £80,000 in March 1964 before returning to Rovers in 1971 for a further year but was transfer-listed after the club dropped in to Division Three. The home-grown trend continued more recently with David Dunn, but unlike most of the other returnees, Dunn’s second spell was actually longer than his first.

The talented-midfielder was 18 when he made his debut, and 169 games to his name before being sold to Birmingham in 2003.

Three-and-a-half years later he was back at Ewood, signed by Mark Hughes, one of seven managers he would play under during his next 209 appearances before leaving in 2015.

Colin Hendry’s two spells as a player both brought silverware.

An unknown quantity when signed from Dundee in 1987, Hendry would go down in Rovers folklore within a month, scoring the winning goal in the Full Members Cup final against Charlton.

It was something of a surprise when Hendry was sold to Manchester City in 1989, despite Rovers recording a tidy profit.

Kenny Dalglish was the man to secure Hendry’s return in 1991 where he would go on to become a dominant, and heroic, figure in the 1994/95 title-winning team.

He moved on to Rangers for around £3.5m in 1998.

Another title-winner, Henning Berg, who would later have an ill-fated spell as manager, had two spells as a player.

Like Hendry, he secured silverware in his two separate spells, with the Premier League title in 1995 followed by the Worthington Cup in 2002.

Berg won over 100 caps for his country, and at £400,000 was a bargain buy, going on to be sold to Manchester United in 1997 for £5m.

He returned in 2000, initially on loan, helping the club to promotion and despite postponing his intended retirement, he was let go in 2003 and joined Rangers.

A number of the players to  return have done so in the bid to rediscover their best form, none moreso than Roque Santa-Cruz.

The Paraguayan had a dream first season at Ewood, scoring 23 times after his switch from Bayern Munich in 2003/4.

Injuries took their toll the following season, with just six more goals, but that didn’t stop Mark Hughes splashing £17.5m on taking him to Manchester City.

That turned in to something for a disaster for the classy forward, who failed to justify the price-tag and was back for a loan spell at Rovers in January 2011, but didn’t score in nine league appearances.

Another player who looked to rediscover his best form after a big money move was David Bentley.

His impressive form during his three years at the club, including an iconic hat-trick against Manchester United, was enough to earn him England honours and a  £15m move to Tottenham.

But four loan spells later, and with Rovers in the Championship, he returned on loan, but played just seven times before calling time on his career at just 29.

Other players to have returned: Bobby Mimms, Chris Price, Stephane Henchoz, Alan Judge, Alex Marrow, Liam Feeney.