When it was put to Tony Mowbray that Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola were trusting him with their young prospects, and how much of a compliment that was, he wasn’t overly enthusiastic.

He explained that loaning out players is such a big business that the Premier League’s big six have loan managers to handle such negotiations.

That’s not to say the first-team managers don’t have an input, Harvey Elliott, Jarrad Branthwaite and Taylor Harwood-Bellis all saying they had farewells chats with their respective managers before making the switch to Ewood Park.

Whatever their involvements in the deals being done however, Rovers have still been entrusted with the next stages in the development of three players already with Premier League experience, and tipped for bright futures with their clubs.

At 17, 18 and 19 respectively, they have time on their side, and while Elliott and Branthwaite, the former for much more of a sustained period, have shown their qualities, it hasn’t taken long for defender Harwood-Bellis to slot into life at his new club, making his debut at QPR last weekend.

“I don’t know how much homework they do,” Mowbray said.

“The people we deal with, they have so many staff, they have loan managers, loan coaches who go and watch them, sporting directors, football operations managers, it’s a big business.

“I think they like the culture we’re trying to create. I go and I try a create a culture that people enjoy coming to work.

“We want to play with the ball if we can, we want to play positive football, score goals, so how deep clubs look into where they’re sending their young players to, I’m not sure.

“How those teams manage it, I’m not sure other than They’re very professional, they all want reports, to see the data, to see the clips from their game-time and we’re more than happy to do all of that because it’s helping us to have players the talent of Jarrad Branthwaite and Harvey Elliott, Barry Douglas has done amazingly well as well.

“Let’s see how Taylor gets on, but the first impressions in training are that he’s a really talented young guy.

“I’m not sure how much of a compliment it is, maybe sometimes they’re just looking to give them experience and they don’t mind where they don’t, but others will want them to go to the right environment and education.”

Rovers secured loan moves on deadline day for Joe Grayson, Jack Vale and Tyler Magloire to Oxford United, Rochdale and Motherwell respectively, joining Joe Hilton (Ross County), Hayden Carter (Burton Albion), Brad Lyons (Morecambe) and Harry Chapman (Shrewsbury Town) on loan.

And Mowbray says there are similar internal discussions at Ewood when it comes to weighing up loan offers for their own young prospects.

Rovers have now have 10 players plying their trade temporarily away from Ewood, a change in approach from the club who have previously chosen to keep their prospects around.

“I think we’ve got eight players out on loan and I think at times we’d like to hand-pick which teams this player goes to,” Mowbray explained.

“Because if they’re a real technical player we’d like them to go to a team and a manager that wants to play with the ball and dominate possession.

“If we just want to get them experience and just toughen them up, we don’t mind where they go.

“The manager might be a shouter and bawler, and play direct, but if it’s going to toughen them up then he’s coming back into our environment and culture then that’s how we might manage it.”