Tony Mowbray admits he needs to deepen his squad after another injury blow, this time to Joe Rankin-Costello.

He was preferred to Ryan Nyambe at right back for the second successive week but had a painful afternoon at Pride Park, receiving a blow to the head inside 60 seconds.

Having been cleared to play on after that, his game was ended just before the hour mark as he hobbled off with a hamstring complaint, as Nyambe came on in his place.

Rankin-Costello will undergo a scan early next week to determine the severity of the injury, but the manager said it could potentially ‘be weeks’ out of the side.

Rovers host Cardiff City next weekend and do so with the hope of welcoming Sam Gallagher back into the fold, the attacker having not featured at all in pre-season because of a groin problem.

He began training this week, and should step that up next week in a bid to push for inclusion against the Bluebirds. 

That would be a boost to Rovers who are already without Bradley Dack, Lewis Travis and Corry Evans with injuries, the latter two sustained since the season began.

Rovers have so far added goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski and central defender Daniel Ayala to their squad, the latter still waiting to make his debut as he builds his fitness having not played since New Year’s Day before leaving former club Middlesbrough and not training with a professional club during the close season.

He did travel to Pride Park, and underwent some fitness drills ahead of kick-off, but the upcoming international break, which follows the Cardiff fixture, should benefit the Spaniard.

Rovers have until October 16 to add to their squad, but Mowbray insists with the way the market is, loan deals may be his best hopes of adding to his squad, having been priced out of permanent deals. 

Elliott Bennett, at 31, was the oldest of the substitutes by nine years, while five of those on the bench are yet to make a Championship start.

And Mowbray knows adding more options to his squad, ahead of the return of the injured players, is vital.

He said: “We’re trying really hard, we haven’t got millions to spend. We’ve got a little bit of money that for the right player, probably loan, because we don’t have enough money for a transfer fee and a salary.

“We need to deepen the squad out, that’s the main thing, because there’s a player in Rankin-Costello out for weeks potentially with a hamstring injury and we’ve already got Dack out since last December, Corry Evans, an international footballer, out, Lewis Travis whose probably been our best player for the last year out for pretty long-term, so all of a sudden the intensity of the levels we’re playing at is bringing injuries with it and everyone needs to be at it, the lads behind, they need to be ready.

“Hopefully there will be one or two more back before the window shuts.”