Hayden Carter will return to Rovers able to mix it at Championship level when he returns from his League One loan spell.

That’s the view of Burton Albion boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who would jump at the chance to have the 21-year-old back at the Pirelli Stadium should Tony Mowbray not agree with his view.

Carter has played every minute of the 23 games since signing for the Brewers on loan in January, their dramatic upturn in form taking them off the bottom of the table and into the safety of mid-table.

Burton have picked up 13 wins in that time, as well as nine clean sheets, with Carter chipping in with four goals.

Mowbray has studied Carter closely during his time away from Ewood Park, having made just one substitute appearance for Rovers in the first half of the season, following on from his consecutive starts in the final two matches of the 2020/21 campaign.

In a bid to boost his experience, Rovers allowed him to leave on loan, with Burton his destination, and his impact a seismic one.

“He came in with no League experience whatsoever and he made that place his own. Since he came in there has never been a doubt in our minds to take him out,” Hasselbaink told the Burton Mail.

“Only in one or two matches has he had a problem with his opponent. The majority of the time he has really bossed the strikers around. He has a bright future.

“Do I think he can play in the Championship week in, week out? Yes, eventually.

“There is still stuff he can improve but that is just experience, having the time to develop. He has been brilliant, brilliant, brilliant for us.”

Carter picked up an injury in pre-season last year, and will look for more luck this time around when he returns to Rovers with a year left to run on his contract.

He will look to make a similar step-up as Scott Wharton who, prior to his Achilles injury in December, had established himself in the first-team after several spells out on loan.

With Wharton set to be sidelined until the early weeks of next season, Derrick Williams having moved on and Daniel Ayala having not played a league fixture in 2021, Carter will look to seize an opportunity to get into Mowbray’s thoughts.

Tyler Magloire will return from a similar loan spell at Motherwell, as will Joe Grayson from Oxford United, but Carter looks to have pushed his name to the front of the queue with his performances for Burton.

That will come to an end after Sunday’s visit to Oxford before returning to Rovers for pre-season training next month.