Jake Garrett is determined to grasp his opportunity in what is a huge pre-season for the Blackburn Rovers Academy graduate.
Garrett has been out of the first-team picture for almost two seasons, having looked like he'd made the step up to senior football. He was Rovers' Young Player of the Year in 2023/24 but things have not progressed as he'd have hoped since.
Two difficult loans made the subsequent campaign tricky and last season was a complete write-off too. Garrett tore his groin in an innocuous shooting drill at the end of a training session and never played under Valerien Ismael.
Having been dogged by bad fortune and injuries, Garrett is now fit again and desperate to impress Tony Mowbray. He played 45 minutes against Accrington Stanley, marking his first appearances in a Rovers shirt since pre-season two years ago.
With one year left on the bumper deal he penned in 2023, the 23-year-old knows it is make-or-break time to establish himself.
"As soon as I knew this gaffer was coming, I had a bit of a spring to my step and I knew that I've got a point to prove," he told RoversTV.
"As soon as I stepped in the door at the STC (Senior Training Centre), I've had my head down and I've worked hard.
"I'm going to continue doing that all over pre-season to show the gaffer and everyone what I can do. I'm so hungry.
"Every time I speak to you, I always say I've been here since I was nine years of age, this is my team and this is all I want to do, is play for Blackburn.
"So, when I signed that long-term contract here, it's always been Blackburn. I feel like this time now, I've got to prove that I'm not that young lad anymore; I've got something to bring to the team.
"I feel like every time I step on the pitch, I've got to bring it. As soon as you get that little sniff, you want more.
"As you said, now I have a bit of a clean slate, so I've got to be hungry and make sure every time I do step on the pitch, I've got to bring my attributes to the team and show what I can bring."
Garrett's groin surgery kept him out until November, with further niggles disrupting any hope of forcing his way back into the fold.
With Rovers fighting to avoid relegation and the 25-man squad full, it left him out of the picture entirely.
"It's tough, but it's part of football," he reflected.
"I feel like injuries come and when you're down, I feel like it gives you that little boost to show this is what I'm working hard for.
"To get that 45 minutes in my legs, it was obviously going to bring me confidence. You do the right things off the pitch and you think, why is it always me that keeps happening?
"But, as I said, when I'm going through those moments, when you're in the lows, you're going to come out at the top when you keep carrying on and working hard.
"So, I feel like now's my time to really show everyone what I can do."
Garrett is now fit and available; desperate to prove that he has what it takes. With central midfield an area of the squad where places are up for grabs, it is the ideal time for his comeback.
Rovers have lacked some tenacity and bite in the middle since Lewis Travis' exit last summer. Garrett has that in abundance.
In the right pairing, he could perhaps have something different to offer Mowbray.
"It felt really good to be back on the blue and white, to be honest, especially just to get 45 minutes in my legs after a tough season last year, being out," he said.
"As soon as I got on the grass, I had a bit of a smile on my face, so I'm just enjoying the moment. I just want to show the tenacity that I bring to the team and hopefully I can bring that to this season.
"I feel really good, I feel strong. I can't thank the physios enough for where they've got me, to be honest.
"Obviously, we all know I had a tough season last year, but I feel like now my body is starting to develop in the right way and I feel like I'm strong, I'm running. So, I'm really excited.
"I feel like the more I train, the more games that I get under my belt...Obviously, I never played last year, so to say this is my first 45 minutes, it can only get better from here.
"That's how I see it. So, the more games I play, the more training sessions I complete, the better and sharper I'll be."
