Rovers remain in contract talks with a number of their promising young players in a bid to secure their long-term futures.

Under-23s captain Tyler Magloire penned a contract extension last month, with Joe Rankin-Costello, John Buckley and Dan Butterworth understood to be among those in talks with the club.

That comes after 18-year-old Canadian youth international Ben Paton signed a deal through to the summer of 2020 yesterday.

Rovers have been proactive in ensuring players, at first team and senior level, don’t run down their contracts, since the departures of Connor Mahoney in 2017 and Callum Wright in 2018.

Reported speculation of interest from Premier League clubs hasn’t prompted talks with any young players with discussions ongoing for some time.

Rankin-Costello’s deal expires in the summer while Buckley and Butterworth, who are on the fringes of the first team, have 18 months left to run.

Joe Grayson and Scott Wharton are among the other Rovers youngsters to sign new deals this season as the club look to reward the progress of their prospects who are looking to make the step up to the first team.

Manager Tony Mowbray suggested again after the weekend defeat to Middlesbrough, Rovers’ fourth in a row, that he could hand opportunities to some young players in the final 13 games.

Butterworth has twice made the matchday squad in 2019, having made his senior bow in the Carabao Cup in August against Lincoln, before featuring in the third round defeat at Bournemouth a month later.

Central midfielder Buckley, also 19, has trained with the first team and is likely to be among those under consideration for first team involvement before the season is out.

Mowbray is a regular at the Under-23s games, and watched Monday’s defeat to Everton from the stands at Southport.

Speaking after the Middlesbrough defeat, he said: “In my mind we have some very talented young players behind the first team who moving forward, if we find ourselves with not a lot to play with however many games to go, we will see some new names on our teamsheet.

“I’m looking forward to blooding some of them and giving some of them an opportunity.”

Sitting 14th in the table, 10 points off the play-offs with 13 games to go, could provide Mowbray with the opportunity to hand minutes to his young players, once Rovers have passed the 50 point mark.

But when asked for their identities, the boss said: “I give names then their agents start coming in for new contracts and upping the price, that’s the world we live in.”