Tony Mowbray says the club will listen ‘very sympathetically’ to any concerns players have over returning to training.

Rovers underwent their essential COVID-19 testing on Friday and will learn their results later today ahead of the return to training tomorrow.

That will be the first time they have done so as a group since March 13 when the season was first suspended.

Players will train in groups no more than five, and only do so having provided a negative test and not showing any coronavirus symptoms, and adhering to social distancing.

A number of Premier League players have outlined concerns over returning to training, while six positive tests were provided this week, including Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and Burnley assistant boss Ian Woan.

Mowbray says his players are keen to return to training, but if that position changes, says it’s something the club will consider.

He said: “As I’ve said to my players, if you’ve got any doubts, you’ve got my number, you’ve got to phone me. Sometimes, when you’re talking to 25 players in a group, it’s very difficult for one individual to speak up.

“So if they’ve got any concerns, they should let me know and we’ll listen to them with full understanding. I’m a family man myself, with three boys, and families have to come first.

“Footballers are young, they’re fit, they’re athletic, they’re strong, but if they’ve got vulnerable families or people who they’re concerned about, then they should air those views and we’ll listen very sympathetically.

“But I think everybody is raring to get back. Nobody from our group has said that they’ve got concerns about coming back and we’re all looking forward to kicking that ball again.

“The first week or so will be social distancing, so I’ve been working with my coaches all morning putting together sessions and what we’re going to do and how we’re going to keep the players apart in groups of five, but we’re looking forward to it.”

The testing programme took place on Friday and will continue twice-weekly before being in a position to play the remaining nine games.

Championship clubs are keen to complete the final 108 games, but that could still have to go to a vote before doing so.

And Mowbray feels everything is pointing towards a return to action, with Rovers having not played since the defeat at Derby County on March 8.

“First and foremost, there’s been a lot of work put in by a lot of people to get to this point,” he told the club website.

“Just to make sure that the players and the staff feel safe when they get their boots on and get back on the grass.

“It’s important that the players feel secure and that everything has been done to make sure that we’re not taking any chances.

“Of course, at any time, someone could put a big pin in the bubble of what’s happening. There could be a spike or an outbreak that puts an end to it, but at this moment we’re on a road back to playing football.

“These are the first steps. If everything’s fine, all the people with negative tests will start on Monday. We’ll be testing twice a week on the back of that and the process will have begun.

“We’ll hopefully try to get to stage two pretty quickly, into some sort of contact, and then stage three will be playing football matches.

“That’s the plan and let’s hope it runs smoothly.”