Rovers expect Chile to call up Ben Brereton for this month’s World Cup qualifiers, despite his injury, having held talks with Chile director of football Francis Cagigao.

Cagigao has spent the day at Rovers’ Brockhall training base meeting with manager Tony Mowbray, as well as Brereton and the Rovers medical staff, to discuss his injury status.

Brereton has been out since February 14 with an ankle ligament injury which is set to prevent him from playing before the March international break which follows the trip to Reading.

Chile have crucial World Cup qualifiers against Brazil (March 24) and Uruguay (March 29), needing four points from their remaining two games in a bid to secure a play-off spot to keep them in with a chance of reaching the finals in Qatar.

Rovers cannot block Brereton from being called up, but have stressed to the Chilean Football Association the importance of the striker to their promotion push in the final weeks of the season.

“I talk about my values and the human values of the Brereton situation, what his potential worth to this football club is in goals scored between now and the end of the season that could take us to a play-off final, or he goes away with Chile to the Maracana and breaks down and then has no chance,” Mowbray said.

“We have had those discussions.

“It looks to me as by FIFA law he will be going to Chile and then we have to trust them they do the right thing for the player.

“As I’m having with Dack, you don’t put players on the pitch unless you think they’re going to help your team.

“It’s a similar sort of situation, are they going to play Ben Brereton if he’s not fit against Brazil, one of the best teams in the world, with 10-and-a-half men?

“They’d be mad to do that I think. Or are they that desperate that they will play an injured player in a game who won’t be able to play and run freely, surely they have another striker who is running freely?

“It looks to me as by FIFA law they will be able to call him up and then he’ll be with him and we can’t affect it.

“I’ve just tried to make them aware of the importance of the player to us, they know that, and I have to believe the integrity that they talk about that they won’t play him if he’s not fit.”

Brereton hasn’t trained since limping out of the 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion, but the Chilean medical staff have maintained contact with the player and believe that he will be ready for the fixture on March 24.

The second game against Uruguay comes on March 29, with Rovers in action after the break on April 2 when they travel to Coventry City.

Rovers are bound by FIFA law to release Brereton, having been threatened by sanctions in September when the 22-year-old didn’t join up with the squad due to concerns over Chile’s red list status that would have required him to quarantine on his return.

“They think he might be ready to play against Brazil,” Mowbray added.

“They have world class doctors on it, as we have the very best in this country, they have been talking and made a decision in their mind he can go.

“It’s about pain management with this type of injury and the cup of that falls just a few days before their game.

“Whether he can do himself justice against some of the world’s best footballers, in their own backyard, it’s a difficult one.

“It’s difficult for the club. I’ve left him with the owners' conduit because I don’t feel as though I should take full responsibility of Ben Brereton being allowed to go to Chile and getting reinjured and missing everything because we’re potentially over £100m for this football club.

“Yet we have to abide by FIFA law. If he gets called up and the doctor’s think he has a chance then he’s going.

“I just have to look them in the eye and hope they don’t play a player who isn’t going to do them justice and send him back to us injured.”

Brereton is caught in the middle of the club and country discussions, with Mowbray hoping Chile do right by the player and not to play him if he’s not ready.

Asked if Brereton has any say on the situation, Mowbray added: “I think so, and Ben is such a good kid that he says he feels okay.

“I’ve said that he might feel okay walking in the pool or on AlterG treadmill where it takes your body off you and you only have 20 per cent of your body weight on the running machine and he feels okay.

“That’s not what he’s going to be asked to do, he’s going to be asked to play against one of the world’s best teams, that isn’t like walking in a swimming pool. Can you run, can you sprint, can you twist and turn, jump and land on your ankle when you fall from a header?

“In a few weeks time he’ll have to know whether he can do that and then we’re going to have to trust them to have the integrity if he can’t do that, not to play him.”