Jake Garrett is enjoying his football and is aiming to continue improving every day in a bid to catch Jon Dahl Tomasson’s eye.

Although yet to make his league debut, Garrett did start the Carabao Cup win over Bradford City in August and trains with the first-team group.

Tomasson was impressed with the teenager’s display, enough to include him in the matchday squad for the win at Blackpool later that month.

However, with Academy graduates Lewis Travis, John Buckley and Adam Wharton, as well as Liverpool loanee Tyler Morton, seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, Garrett will have to remain patient.

There was interest to take him on loan in the summer, but Garrett outlined that he wanted to stay around the group and fight for his place.

Tomasson was in the stands to see his fine strike, and all-round excellent display, in the middle of the park against Wolfsburg in the Premier League International Cup on Wednesday night.

And of his season so far, the 19-year-old said: “I feel I’m improving every day and the aim is to continue enjoying my football.

“I’m enjoying my football, enjoying being out there with the lads and feel we have a good connection as a team.

“I thought we all had a great game throughout. The football comes down from the top and it’s been a case of replicating what the first team are doing.

“Getting back as well, when teams get through our press it’s a case of us all sprinting back, which also comes from the top.”

Bradley Dack put Rovers ahead before Garrett’s long-ranger, a shot he knew was in from the moment it left his foot, doubled the lead. Yet Rovers were shocked to go into the break level, the visitors hitting back with two goals on the stroke of half time.

Rovers restored their two-goal advantage early in the second half from a Harry Leonard penalty and Dilan Markanday volley, but had to see out a one-goal lead in the closing stages as Wolfsburg pulled it back to 4-3.

“I thought it was a great game and the lads did well from the start,” Garrett added.

“We dug in deep against a side who we didn’t have any knowledge on and we had to graft.

“The one and two-touch football was fast and I don’t think they were able to live with it.

“We got in their faces, got the ball high and had a really good game.”

The International Cup has returned for the first time since the 2019/20 season, with Rovers coming up against Wolfsburg, Porto, Celtic and Valencia.

And Garrett said: “It gives us a good experience against foreign sides, seeing their tactics, how they play, whether they go in behind or whether they come to feet.

“It’s a different opposition and I think all the lads enjoyed it. We dug deep and I felt we were always on the front foot.”

Victory in the cup backed up league wins over Tottenham Hotspur (3-1), Manchester United (6-1) and Manchester City (6-1), as well as victory over Peterborough United in the Premier League Cup.

It means Rovers Under-21s have now won their last five matches, reacting to a start to the season where they lost their opening six matches, five of them without scoring.

“The season was hard at the start but we’ve got through it and I feel we’re really starting to show our form now,” the midfielder said.

“We’ve been hitting the target recently, we’ve been clinical and that helps us at the back as well when the ball’s at the other end of the pitch.

“We just need to keep going really. We can’t dwell on these wins now, we have to keep progressing.”

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