Tony Mowbray says he doesn’t feel vindicated after Ben Brereton netted his 20th goal of the season and stressed Rovers will resist bids for the Chile international next month.

Brereton became the 24th Rovers player to hit 20 goals in a single season, the quickest since Alan Shearer in 1994/95.

Mowbray feels the 22-year-old has shed the price-tag pressure following his £6m move from Nottingham Forest in 2018 and matured from the player that managed only two goals in his opening two campaigns.

The Rovers boss has retained faith Brereton would come good, but put all the praise on the attacker after reaching the milestone.

The manager hinted a long-term plan could see Rovers move for young strikers in the January window, but there are no plans to lose Brereton.

Mowbray said: “If Ben Brereton wasn’t scoring Danny Graham was scoring and Bradley Dack was scoring. He wasn’t being suppressed because they are good players in their own right.

“As you can see you shed some skin off and he has to grow, that’s why I kept saying to the owners, the day Brereton gets sold someone will fill the void.

“Let’s hope Sam Gallagher becomes a 30-goal centre forward because he’s rarely been asked to play the position that gets him in the position to score goals.

“When we decide ‘the king is dead, long live the king’, I’m not saying that it will happen but he’ll have the opportunity.

“I’m hoping in this window we bring some young strikers in to the football club they will have to watch and understand how we expect them to play and one of them might grow into a top player as well.”

Yet Mowbray was quick to add: “I need to clarify, we’re not looking to sell Ben Brereton, we need him to hopefully get 40 goals and help the team be successful this year.”

Mowbray feels Ben Brereton has shed the pressures of the £6m price-tag that affected his first two years.

The manager feels an extra maturity has been pivotal to Brereton’s upturn in fortunes infront of goal, helped by his exploits on the international stage with Chile and is happy to see him get the deserved accolades.

“I think he’s matured rather than improved. He’s always had talent,” “Mowbray said.

“I can handle the criticism of the first two years.

“He was bought for the money he was because of the talent he has, he’s grown from 18 to 22 he’s just matured into a man and he’s a big personality in the dressing room.

“He’s a wonderful footballer but a wonderful human being first, he loves all the lads.

“The externals of pressure of living up to the price tag have been shed. He had the confidence of going away and playing for his mother’s native country and has done exceptionally well.

“We’re all delighted for him that he can take some accolades because it was a tough few years as he matured into the player he is today.”