Former Rovers man Neil McDonald has linked up with Simon Grayson at Indian Super League club Bengaluru.

McDonald served as Sam Allardyce’s assistant at Ewood Park and also had a brief stint in charge while Allardyce had heart surgery.

The 57-year-old is already familiar with the ISL, having worked alongside Phil Brown at Hyderabad. His most recent role was alongside Brown at Barrow.

He will now assist Grayson, who made 40 appearances for Rovers during his playing days, in the dugout at Bengaluru.

“When I was with Hyderabad, we’d always kept an eye on the big teams and Bengaluru FC was one of them, and they still continue to be," said McDonald.

“Even after I left, I’ve always followed the league closely and had said that I would love to come back. So when I got the call from Simon, who I know, I said yes straight away.”

He added: “During my time working with young Indian players, what stood out is their ability to grasp instructions. I followed Bengaluru last season and you could see, over the course of the season, the players were picking things up and developing.

“I am hoping to be able to help improve them. I love the country - its culture and all the colour.”

The club narrowly missed out on the ISL title last season after losing against Mohun Bagan on penalties.

Grayson added: “Neil has the experience of working in India with Phil Brown and brings a lot of character, personality and knowledge of football to us.

“I’m really delighted to be able to get him to join us for next season and to work closely with him and build a successful relationship at the football club.”

He continued: “We are certain that his presence will help many of our boys who are coming up the ranks and knocking on the first-team doors.”