Rovers will require an overhaul of their goalkeeping department this summer, 12 months on from the departure of David Raya.

The Spaniard was sold to Premier League-chasing last summer, and after missing out on two overseas replacements, Rovers signed Christian Walton on a season-long loan deal from Brighton.

The 24-year-old has been an ever-present between the sticks, but with no permanent clause in the deal, and Walton’s desire to test himself at his parent club, a Rovers return is unlikely.

Back-up option Jayson Leutwiler signed a 12-month extension to his deal prior to Raya’s departure, but has made just two Carabao Cup appearances this season, and after three years as a No.2, could seek more regular first-team football.

Youngster Andrew Fisher has twice been loaned out, first to Northampton Town and then MK Dons, without making a league appearance, which has allowed Joe Hilton, signed from Everton last summer, to have regular action in goal for the Under-23s.

Mowbray feels Walton’s form has been ‘up and down’, but opted not to strengthen in that area in January, with the former Wigan man playing every minute of Rovers’ Championship campaign.

Assessing Walton’s form, Mowbray said: “I personally think it’s been a bit up and down.

“I think he’s been trying really hard all year to change a few core fundamentals that he has that I would like to change so he can play the way I would like him to play.

“It’s not easy to change footballers, particularly goalkeepers where I’m not the expert, yet I watch as much football as anyone and know where the goalkeeping fraternity is going, I know how a modern goalkeeper is going to look and looks now, and how the world’s best are operating.

“You should try and achieve that, and I’ve said to Christian that if he thinks he’s going to play for Brighton in the Premier League, the way they play then he has some fundamentals he needs to change.

“For most of the season it’s generally been good, there’s been times, and I don’t need to publicly air those thoughts because he knows, some areas he needs to improve on but on the whole, he’s a young goalie who has come and helped us out and has generally done okay.

“The test for him is to see if he can play in the Premier League.”

Mowbray rebuffed suggestions that Jon McLaughlin was on his radar, following the Scot’s free transfer move to Rangers from Sunderland, with David Cornell is another option that Rovers have tracked.

He is now a free agent after his department from Northampton Town, and Mowbray says the club will assess all of their options when it comes to signings.

That plan could see Rovers sign a more experienced option, supplemented with a younger ‘keeper, to boost their goalkeeping ranks, overseen by coach Ben Benson.

“We might try and sign a young one if we can that we can develop and grow with Fisher and the young goalies we’ve got here,” Mowbray explained.

“It’s very difficult to balance how you recruit, because ideally you spend money, you invest knowing that you make that player better and they will have a greater value as they learn on the job.

“Let’s wait and see what the summer brings, that’s a process we’ve been going through, staying late after training sometimes watching videos and the clips of player we think might be able to fit in and then speaking to their advisors and their clubs.

“Nobody has been committal during this period, a lot are saying let’s see what the picture of the football world is when we get to the end of this season.

“What we do know is that the goalkeeping department is something at our football club that will change quite dramatically and we’ll try and get it right.”