Tony Mowbray hopes the behind the scenes recruitment work will give Rovers a head start despite the uncertainty surrounding their summer transfer plans.

Rovers are yet to draw up budgets for next season, while talks over extending the contracts of senior players are on hold.

However, the club have invested heavily in their recruitment department, with work ongoing even during lockdown, with lists of players drawn up depending on the amount of money available for Mowbray to spend.

Reinforcements will be required for next season in goal, and defence, but Mowbray says the options have been identified.

He said: “I think we’re all excited. I spend a lot of time with our head of recruitment because you live and die by your recruitment.

“The difficulty is, ‘what is the budget? Are we going to have to rely on loans? Will it be free transfers?’

“We have lots of lists, free transfer lists, loan lists, £1m buy lists, £5m buy lists, and when we know what money we have to spend and what areas we can spend it in we will hopefully get it right and pick the right ones.

“Players are what win you games, strikers who can put the ball in the net, defenders who keep the ball out, ‘keepers who make the saves.

“But as I’ve always said it’s not just about talent, talent is just one of the attributes, you have to look at personality, at character, ideally before you sign them you sit down in your office with them and talk about football and their beliefs and their values and try it get it right for your football club.”