Manchester City are ready to let Taylor Harwood-Bellis on loan for a second time – but Rovers will face competition if they’re to land him.

Harwood-Bellis impressed in a half season stay at Ewood Park, playing 19 times, and said he would welcome a return should City grant him another loan move.

The central defender played 19 times for Rovers in his first switch away from the Etihad, form which has attracted interest from Brentford, and also Bundesliga sides.

Fitness issues saw Rovers turn to the loan market in January, bringing in Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton as well as Harwood-Bellis, with captain Darragh Lenihan largely a mainstay in the backline, as Daniel Ayala and Scott Wharton sustained injury and Derrick Williams was allowed to move to LA Galaxy.

That allowed Harwood-Bellis to become first-choice alongside Lenihan, but Mowbray is hoping for a more productive season from Ayala next term.

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Taylor Harwood-Bellis said he surprised himself at just how many games he played for Rovers – but was confident he’d take his chance when it came.

The central defender had made five first-team appearances for Manchester City, and eight for their Under-23s side, before making a January switch to Rovers where he went on to feature in all but one match.

That experience allowed the teenager to settle in at Ewood Park and admit that he would be open to a return should that align with parent club City’s thinking. It looks set to be another loan for Harwood-Bellis with City set to welcome offers to take him.

There would be no guarantee of the same level of game-time as in 2020/21 for Harwood-Bellis, should he re-sign, with Tony Mowbray hopeful Daniel Ayala will play a more prominent role in the side next term, his substitute appearance on the final day against Birmingham City only his 10th in Rovers colours.

Mowbray will welcome Scott Wharton back into the fold several weeks into the season, while he will assess Hayden Carter in pre-season after his loan spell in League One.

After his own temporary switch, Harwood-Bellis reflected positively.

“I didn’t think I’d as many games as I did,” he explained.

“I knew that it would be tough to get a place in the starting XI but I was confident that I had in myself that when I got a chance I would take it.

“I didn’t think I’ve have played as many games as I have but I have enjoyed every minute of it.”

The England Under-20 international is yet to make his Premier League bow, but has played eight times for Pep Guardiola’s men following his debut in a Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb in November 2019.

He has trained regularly with the first-team at City however, and said of his Rovers loan: “It was the biggest learning curve of my career apart from playing for City’s first-team the year before last.

“Doing it week in week out is a different ball games, you play one game and then you’re moving onto the next team and the next striker.

“Every striker I’ve come up against has been different in different ways and that’s given me a different test every time.

“But then when I come up against that type of striker again, hopefully we can do even better.”

City were beaten in the Champions League final, but were still crowned Premier League champions and Carabao Cup winners.

For City fan and Academy graduate Harwood-Bellis his aim is to break into the first-team at the Etihad, and he signed a new deal through to 2024 a month before his Rovers switch.

He will likely be part of their pre-season programme, with the majority of Guardiola’s squad currently away on international duty, and Harwood-Bellis said of the squad’s quality: “They’re better than they look on the tele I’ll tell you that, they’re so hard to play against.

“They work hard every day, you can only expect going into games they’re going to get results.  They’re one of the best teams in the world at the minute.”

Rovers loaned a City central defender in 2019, bringing in Tosin Adarabioyo, he then sold to Fulham last summer where he was a regular in the heart of their backline.

However, after relegation for the Cottagers, the 23-year-old will be hoping to remain in the Premier League, those chances boosted by a £10m release clause in his contract.