STEPHEN Warnock believes Christian Vieri could still make a Premier League impact after Blackburn Rovers extended the Italian striker’s trial.

After an impressive week-long trial at Rovers’ training camp in Austria, 36-year-old Vieri will meet up with the squad again for their tour of Italy and Croatia, which starts on Wednesday, before returning to East Lancashire to be put through his paces at Brockhall.

Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has meanwhile revealed he has started negotiations with the agents of three foreign strikers, as the search for Roque Santa Cruz’s replacement continues, but admits they are still some way from sealing any deals.

Allardyce has admitted Tottenham’s Darren Bent would interest him but fears, like many other Premier League strikers, his price tag will rule Rovers out of the running as he resigns himself to relying on the overseas market.

Vieri though will be given time to prove he can reach the necessary fitness levels to be a hit in the Premier League, having suffered a nightmare campaign at Atalanta last time out.

The former Italian international though has scored almost 200 league goals during spells in Serie A and La Liga and Warnock insists he saw enough in Austria to suggest he could have an Ewood Park future.

Warnock said: “Vieri has done very well. He is a fantastic player and his reputation is massive. He has been fantastic, he has shown he is a top player and a top man as well.

“He has gelled with the lads very quickly, we have made him feel right at home, and we are looking forward to seeing him again next week.

“He proved last week at the training camp, he has got the ability to finish out of nowhere and he is a very strong player and very awkward to play against. Hopefully he could be a good addition to the squad.

“I don’t think he is too old to play in the Premier League at all.”

Allardyce has revealed he will give Vieri as much time as needed to prove his Premier League credentials - claiming he could yet be a valuable addition.

The striker, who enjoyed prolific spells at Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Lazio, as well as scoring almost a goal a game during his eight-year international career, could feature against AS Roma on Thursday night, before two 45-minute games against Split and Maritimo in Croatia on Saturday.

“Vieri will follow on to the next session away, which starts on Wednesday,” said Allardyce.

“He will join up with us then, then he will join up with us back here.

“From what the lads said in Austria, he did the work as best he could.

"Obviously he is way behind the rest of the players and we will be very patient and very supportive to see how long he wants to go to see if he can get to the level he needs to to play in the Premier League.

“If he manages that - what a player. We will decide together, between me and him.

"However long it takes, we will take as long as it needs to to hopefully get there in the end.”