Corry Evans returned to Brockhall this week after undergoing surgery that saw him have a metal plate inserted in his skull to cure a fracture.

The 29-year-old also sustained a shattered eye socket and broken nose when caught by a high boot during Rovers’ draw with Preston on January 11.

Rovers will give the Northern Ireland midfielder time to come to terms with the injury, but he’s unlikely to feature again this season, despite Mowbray refusing to put a timeframe on a potential return date.

“He came in a couple of days ago for his first day back. He looks like he’s had a facelift, the top of his skull he’s got a huge big scar,” the manager said.

“His forehead has been pulled back really tight like he’s had Botox, very tight shiny forehead, his eyes are very narrow.

“He’s had his plates put in under his eyes, he’s got a plate in his forehead, a reconstruction of his nose.

“You can try and picture what he looks like, but he doesn’t look like Corry.

“I’m sure time will put that right and he’ll be fine in a few weeks.

“I’m trying to take some pressure off him, there’s no pressure from me or us. He’ll wake up one morning and think ‘I’m a footballer, I need to get back to work’.

“If that’s three months, six months, or three weeks, that’s fine and we’ll be ready for him.

“He’ll know when it’s time to get his boots back on."