Strong interest is expected in the Rovers Under-23s job as Billy Barr looks set to leave to take up a first-team role at Salford City.

Gary Bowyer is set to snap up Barr as his assistant at the League Two side having been handed the job permanently in the summer after an impressive 11-game spell in charge to finish last season.

Bowyer himself is making the return to first-team football after a spell as No.2 at Derby County Under-23s since leaving his last permanent manager’s job at Bradford City last year.

External and internal candidates are expected to apply once Barr’s exit is confirmed, the 52-year-old having taken over the reins in 2019.

That came after Damien Johnson was appointed as head of player development and technical coach within the first-team set-up after an impressive four years in charge of the Under-23s side.

Eric Kinder was the man in charge before him before stepping up to take the role as head of Academy coaching.

That role is currently occupied by Tony Carss who filled in two years ago in the period between Johnson’s step-up to the first-team and the appointment of Barr who was handed a promotion having previously worked with the Under-18s.

Mike Sheron then got the Under-18s job full-time, having previously worked as an assistant to Barr, and will be in the running to lead the next age group.

Rovers do have an assistant at Under-18s level, having appointed Ryan Kidd to the role after his departure from Bury, but haven’t at Under-23s level since David Dunn left in 2018.

Johnson and Barr have since led the side alone, but have had helped on matchdays from the likes of Sheron, Carss and most recently Stewart Downing.

Downing spent time working within the Academy set-up last summer as he worked on his coaching badges between the end of his first contract and start of his second.

The 37-year-old was also part of the coaching staff for the final two Premier League 2 fixtures of last season against Chelsea, assisting Barr on the touchline in both.

Barr was one of six candidates interviewed for the job in 2019 in which there was strong interest, including applications from a number of former Rovers players.

The interview was both practical and theoretical, and speaking at the time, Steve Waggott said: “It was a really strong field. It is a key appointment and so it has to be right.”

Rovers will start their fourth successive Premier League 2 campaign on August 16 with the visit of Everton.

Before then Rovers have a Lancashire Senior Cup final to play against Wigan Athletic on Friday, with Sheron expected to lead the side in their hunt for silverware.

Rovers have been in Division One since winning the second tier title under Johnson and Dunn in 2018.

They finished fifth in 2018/19, seventh in 2019/20 and then fourth last season, and are one of just two Championship sides competing in the top division, along with Derby County.

Category One academy sides can feature up to three overage outfield players,

Manchester United having this week signed 35-year-old Paul McShane as a player-coach for their Under-23s, with Brighton having done something similar with Gary Dicker and Andrew Crofts.

Rovers have tended to approach their Under-23s side differently, using first and second year professionals, but may consider something similar should the opportunity arise.