Corry Evans has successfully undergone surgery on his fractured skull and eye socket.

Evans sustained the injury in Rovers’ draw with Preston earlier this month and was carried off on a stretcher and wearing an oxygen mask.

Scans revealed the midfielder had suffered a fracture to the front of his skull, as well as a shattered eye socket, for which he has now undergone surgery on.

Tony Mowbray says the 29-year-old will be given all the time he needs before thinking about a return to action and wouldn't put a timescale on when the Northern Ireland international may be ready to feature again.

However, the injury will require six to eight weeks to recover, meaning Evans is unlikely to feature again this season.

“He had his operation, it went very well. He is going to spend 10-14 days in his own environment with his family,” Mowbray said.

“The surgeon said that it went as well as it could have gone.

“There will now be a period of six to eight weeks of waiting.

“He will be back in the building in the next 10 days or so and be maintaining the work to keep his aerobic capacity going.

“Eventually, at some stage he will get back to heading foam footballs to get his confidence back to use his head. 

“I don’t think we should be putting any timescale on it, it’s more psychological of when he will make contact on and he will decide when he’s ready and when he puts his boots back on.

“We will give him all the time he needs.

“The injury will hopefully take care of itself, mend well, and he’ll have the confidence to come back soon.”

Evans was making his 200th Rovers appearance against North End, and Mowbray says the Irishman has proven to be a key member of the side.

He added: “He’s a single-minded, driven individual. He’s very forthright with his views which is what I like about him.

“Corry knocks on my door and he is just driven and wants to be successful and make the most of his career.

“I think he’s had a really good spell with the Northern Ireland set-up and achieved some good things with them.

“He’s had his injuries, but I’ve always liked Corry Evans. When I first arrived here he was unavailable for those 15 games of that season.

“I was always looking forward to Corry being ready and he hasn’t let me down. He plays on the front foot, anticipates, he’s economical with the ball, moves it from A to B.

“He wins the ball and gives to the technical players, a very efficient player who I like and appreciate in our team.”