Stewart Downing feared his chance of Rovers return had gone and that Covid may prove to be the end of his distinguished career.

Rovers made four signings on deadline day leaving Downing pondering whether the finances required to secure his return could have been spent.

However, boss Tony Mowbray had always been keen on the 36-year-old returning for a second season after his contract expired in the summer, and a deal was finalised this week.

Downing is expected to be given the international break to boost his fitness, having not played any football since July, before starting his 20th season as a professional.

The midfielder made known his preference to return to Rovers to potential suitors, and would even have considered moving into coaching and ending his career had a return to Ewood Park not materialised.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: “I did speak to other managers but I did make it clear that if Blackburn was an option then I wanted to come back because of how settled I was.”

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Stewart Downing watched an exciting transfer deadline day unfold for Rovers, one which boosted their hopes of a top six finish, and also the expectation of one.

Equally, as he waited to learn more about extending his stay at the club into a second season, feared that business could have used up the remainder of Tony Mowbray’s budget.

Downing had always been in the background, a deal that Mowbray wanted to do, but one that would be dependent on finance, with other positions needing to be addressed first.

After finishing third in the club’s player of the season vote and featuring in 41 of their 46 Championship fixtures, Downing securing a new deal at Ewood Park would, in normal circumstances have proven to be a formality.

An agreement was drawn up in principle, only for Covid, and its impact on the club’s finances to force something of a re-think.

There would then be an anxious wait on Downing’s part that for the desire of all parties to seal a deal, that circumstance could see that fail to materialise.

For the former England international, who turned 36 on the final day of last season, playing on was his preference, and doing so at Rovers his ideal scenario.

And while he did hold conversations about the possibility of a move elsewhere, as his Rovers return hung in the balance, he did also consider moving into coaching.

That included time working at the Rovers Academy, heightening his connection to the club, but also the closeness of his relationship with Mowbray.

“I had other offers and spoke to other people because I thought at one point it might be dead in the water and I didn’t think it was going to happen,” Downing explained.

“I looked at the final day of the transfer window and I thought maybe that was the budget gone.

“I had to look about because I wanted to carry on playing, but my ideal situation was to come back here, that’s why I agreed pretty much agreed at the end of last season a contract to come back.

“I went away with the family on holiday to relax and think that I could come back and have a good season, then that got pulled away.

“I’m not blaming anyone, it was just a case that the manager needed to buy other players, get other positions filled, and he had a lot of midfield players.

“I’m not exactly a 25-year-old asset to the club, I have to be honest with myself, I’m a 36-year-old coming into help the team, and they probably didn’t want to spend the money on that type of player, or age.

“I did speak to other managers but I did make it clear that if Blackburn was an option then I wanted to come back because of how settled I was, I’ve got a young family and I didn’t want to be moving around the country, I’ve not got long left. I’m glad it’s happened and I get on with my football and see where it takes us.

“I have a good relationship with the manager, I enjoy his ideas and how he plays, and the way the team plays and functions suits my game and I’m pleased it’s done.”

Downing didn’t train with Rovers during the off season, and for the first time in his career found himself without a club.

He admits that period was as much about keeping his mind occupied, as his fitness up, as a 739 game career threatened to be ended by a global pandemic. 

“I went away and then when the manager rang me when we were due to come back it was about keeping fit,” he added.

“The manager didn’t plan for me to do a full pre-season because I’d had such a long season, at my age and the amount of games we’d planned for maybe 10 days, two weeks.

“I had an extended holiday but the longer that went on the more it proved difficult and you have to keep your mind going, especially at my age.

“You have to keep yourself fit, keeping your mind going, because in the back of the mind you’re thinking ‘is this it? Is football finishing me because I want to continue playing’.

“With the situation with Covid I was wondering if that was going to finish my football off and I had to look for something new.

“That’s why in the break I was doing my coaching badges, I was actually down at the Academy and was getting lots of help from the manager.

“It went on longer than I thought but it’s done now, I’m here and I can’t wait to get back into the team.”