Tony Mowbray has told Rovers fans to ‘be excited’ by Dilan Markanday – even if it isn’t until next season when they get to see him play again for the club.

Markanday is in the final stages of his rehabilitation following hamstring surgery in January. That came only days after signing for the club, the 20-year-old damaging the muscle on his debut at Hull City.

The forward starred in Premier League 2 for Tottenham in the first half of the season with 12 goals and five assists in 14 appearances, form which earned him a senior debut for the club,

That prompted Rovers to spend a six-figure fee to land Markanday, only for injury to strike on his debut a day after he signed.

He has gone through the necessary steps since surgery, and while the nearing end of the season means he is unlikely to feature, Mowbray believes Markanday will have a long-lasting impact at the club.

Markanday is one of a number of young players who Mowbray feels can he help take the club forward should they be nurtured in the right way.

He said: “For every Blackburn Rovers fan, be excited by Dilan Markanday when he is fit and available next season.

“He’s a real talent.

“There’s some really good young footballers at this club and they need to be encouraged and given time.

“The future is pretty bright, but the future isn’t today, that’s not saying we can’t achieve, we can, as we’ve shown that we can win games, but young players need to go through the process.

“There are a lot of good young players at this club and hopefully in the future they will come to fruition.”

Take out a subscription...

Gain unlimited access to the Lancashire Telegraph website with a premium digital subscription from just £1