DUNCAN Robertson has been unveiled as Blackburn Rovers’ new club doctor.

An experienced military medical man, Duncan served for over 20 years as a doctor in the Army, before taking up a variety of football posts with Derby County, Aston Villa and Chelsea.

The 49-year-old Scot, who replaces Dr. Phil Batty, is a passionate football fan who is delighted to be joining Rovers’ renowned medical department.

“Having networked over the last 12-13 years, you get to know people within football and it’s a plain fact that Rovers have one of the most stable and highly-respected medical teams in the country,”

he said.

“I turned down a couple of job offers just to come for the interview here, that’s how important this opportunity was to me.

“I am particularly looking forward to working alongside (senior physiotherapist) Dave Fevre, as his reputation is second to none.

"My career journey has taught me that it is always the quality of the people you work with which I value most, not the fanciness of any surroundings – and I know I am joining a great and highly-respected team.”

Brought up in Prestwick, Duncan studied at Edinburgh University, before joining the Army in 1983, where he served as a doctor until 1992.

As a qualified GP, Duncan spent the next seven years gaining global experience – working in Australia, New Zealand and Germany – before returning to his Scottish roots.

With the availability to HM Forces doctors of the Sport and Exercise Medicine course in the late ‘90s, Duncan rejoined the Army in 1999 and completed the three-year diploma at Bath University, going on to complete his Masters in 2006 and becoming a founding Fellow of the UK Faculty in 2009.

In 2003, Duncan took up a role treating injured soldiers at the Catterick Regional Rehabilitation Unit, where he stayed for four years, before joining Derby County’s medical team under Paul Jewell.

After two-and-a-half seasons at Pride Park, most of it served under new manager Nigel Clough, Duncan left on completion of his contract, but within a few weeks an opportunity arose to join Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa last summer.

Duncan accompanied the team on their pre-season tour, however just days before the start of the season, O’Neill left and new boss Gerard Houllier arrived with plans for his own staff.

After a short spell looking after Chelsea’s Reserves earlier this year, Duncan was offered the prestigious Rovers role and he can’t wait to get going.

"I am very much looking forward to it,” added Duncan, who is already planning to relocate from North Yorkshire to the Clitheroe-Skipton area with his family.

“After over six months away from first team doctoring and after everything that went on at Aston Villa, I knew I wanted to give it another shot, and I am confident that it’s going to be a very different kettle of fish here at Rovers, working with Steve Kean.”