David Dunn says Venky’s have ‘stood up and been counted’ during the coronavirus pandemic and believes they should return to Ewood Park when the opportunity allows.

The owners mark a decade in charge of Rovers this week in which time Dunn has served the club as both a player, first-team coach and Under-23s assistant manager.

Now manager of League Two side Barrow, Dunn believes Tony Mowbray is deserving of great credit in helping a reunite a section of the fanbase with the club and believes the time is right for Venky’s to return to Ewood Park.

The owners haven’t attended a game since 2013, but Dunn feels the time is now right for that to change.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph: “I’d like to see them back, I think they should be back at Ewood when things get back to normal because I think they deserve to.

“I know some people will disagree, maybe not as much now as they would have, but they’ve put a hell of a lot of their own money in, kept the club going, supported the club in a really tough time.

“Their commitment can’t be questioned.

“You see some of the other stuff that’s going on with other owners and they’ve stood up and been counted upon and I hope when things get back to normal they can be welcomed back to Ewood because I think they deserve to be.”

Dunn left Rovers at the end of the 2014/15 season, but was back in a coaching capacity 12 months later. He worked under Damien Johnson’s with the Under-23s before being appointed to the first-team coaching set-up after the departure of Owen Coyle.

There he worked under Tony Mowbray who is now into his fourth full season in charge and looking to guide the club towards the top six and challenge for promotion back to the Premier League.

Dunn has maintained contact with Mowbray, and sought advice during his early days of full-time management, and credits the Rovers boss with helping guide the club to a level of stability.

“Tony has done a great job there,” he added.

“I’ve said previously that not just a good job on the pitch, but because he’s such a gentleman, an honest, nice guy, he’s brought the owners and supporters back together as well which needed doing.

“That’s certainly a real positive he’s done for the club.”

Rovers headed into the international break on the back of a 3-1 win over QPR that moved them back into the top half of the Championship.

They face a period of nine games in the space of a month upon their return to action, but Dunn feels there are plenty of reasons to be positive.

He remains a key observer of games, and even ones they have come out on the wrong side of, he has seen signs of progress.

The 40-year-old said: “They had a great win against QPR, I watched them against Watford and thought they were excellent, passed the ball really well, just the Watford front players were really good on the day and that was the difference.

“The games I’ve watched this season I think Blackburn have been excellent.”