Tony Mowbray won’t put a timeframe on when Derrick Williams will return to action.

Mowbray had previously suggested that Williams would miss the remainder of the season following surgery in December, but the defender has stepped up his work with the Rovers medical team.

Williams is one of three centre backs currently sidelined, with Daniel Ayala and Scott Wharton also out injured, the latter being long-term.

The Republic of Ireland international had only just returned from a groin problem to start back-to-back matches in December, but hasn’t featured since the defeat to Norwich City.

His injury prompted Rovers to go into the transfer market, bringing in Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton who has started the last three games alongside Darragh Lenihan and now Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Manchester City.

And while Williams, who is out of contract in the summer, has proven to be a solid option in the back four, particularly alongside Darragh Lenihan, but Mowbray won’t be relying on him being fit anytime soon.

Asked if there was a chance the 27-year-old could play again this season, Mowbray said: “It’s wrong for me to sit here and say one way or the other.

“Derrick is working every day, he’s getting fitter, working on his injuries. He’s with the medical department, he’s not on the grass.

“At the end of the day I work with the footballers that are available and Derrick is nowhere near that.

“I don’t know, I’m not a physio and I don’t want to say that Derrick will be ready in three, four six, eight weeks, when he’s back on the grass I’ll be patting him on the back, getting him going and he’ll be part of the team.

“But until that day, I get on with the players that I can use at the moment.”

Tyler Magloire was Rovers’ defensive cover on the bench against Luton Town as left back Amari’i Bell missed out through injury. Rovers allowed Hayden Carter to join Burton Albion on loan earlier this month, the 21-year-old scoring on his debut in a win at Gillingham.

Magloire joined him in making a temporary switch away from Rovers, as did Joe Grayson, on deadline day as they joined Motherwell and Oxford United respectively.