Jack Vale is hoping to persuade Tony Mowbray he won’t need to be go in to the market for a new forward this summer as he aims to build on his Rovers debut.

Danny Graham and Dominic Samuel were among five players released by Rovers last week, and with the immediate transfer priority at the other end of the pitch, there are question marks over whether Mowbray will strengthen in attack.

The return from injury of star man Bradley Dack, supplemented by this season’s top scorer Adam Armstrong, and big-money buys Ben Brereton and Sam Gallagher could well be the firepower Mowbray looks to in a bid to launch a top six push next season.

Youngster Vale, who made his debut in the penultimate game of the season against Reading, and fellow Academy graduate Dan Butterworth could be behind them challenging for a spot in the senior side moving in to the 2020/21 campaign.

“I feel ready for it. Hopefully I can get the opportunities here and be the next Academy player to break into the first team on a regular basis,” he said.

“It’s a big year ahead for me. All I can do is continue working hard every day and hopefully the first team football will come my way,” he added.

“It gives me great confidence that the manager here will give me that chance.”

The Welsh youth international has long been tipped for an impact at first-team level having made waves in the Rovers Academy.

He signed a long-term professional contract at the back end of 2019 and has been a regular in the Under-23s for a number of seasons.

Vale was linked with a loan switch to AFC Wimbledon in the January transfer window, but did get his first switch away from Ewood Park in March to Barrow as they looked to secure promotion from the National League.

However, lockdown came just days after that switch, ending Vale’s hopes of making his senior debut, which eventually came for Rovers in the latter stages of the win over Reading earlier this month.

He had travelled with the squad for the defeat against Barnsley, and was in the squad for the final game at Luton, going close to a dream debut goal when he hit the crossbar in injury time.

And he told the club website: “The goal for me was always to make my debut for this club, a club I’ve been at for a long time now.

“This was the goal, but now I’ve got it I want more opportunities to come my way. It’s given me a real confidence boost.

“I’m ready to go again for next season. It’s not that long until the next campaign now, so I’ll be aiming to be in and around the squad going into next season.”

Rovers will need recruit two new goalkeepers before the 2020/21 campaign, and will need to replace central defender Tosin Adarabioyo who has now returned to Manchester City.

A left back is also likely to be on the radar, and with finances expected to be tight, Mowbray has already stressed that getting the most out of the options at his disposal could be key.

Butterworth is set to come in to the reckoning after an injury-hit 2019/20 saw him miss the majority of the season with successive back injury.

In between the two injuries he scored four times in six Premier League 2 appearances, and has the backing of manager Mowbray.

He added: “Dan Butterworth has been injured and I feel sorry for him because he would definitely have been involved and would have had some game-time.

“Young Jack Vale, we’ve got a lot of young players that are bubbling underneath, and when the opportunities come we’ll try and give them a chance to show everyone what they can do.”