Opportunity knocks as some senior players miss Austria trip

Rankin-Costello enjoyed an excellent end to the season, recovering from a year out with injury to become a key member of Damien Johnson’s Under-23s.

Not 20 until next month, Rankin-Costello handed Rovers a boosted when, entering the final weeks of his previous deal, signed a new two-year contract.

He will now look to now push his claims for a spot in the first-team, and realise his undoubted promise since arriving from Manchester United at the age of 14.

Naturally an attacking player, either in the wide or central areas, he has played much of his football of late at right back or wing-back.

Lyons is yet to make his first-team bow at Rovers, but has shown excellent progression since first arriving at the club last summer.

The central midfielder arrived as an Under-23s trialist, but joined the club on loan in August before that was made permanent in January having caught the eye for Johnson’s side.

The Northern Irishman, who turned 22 last month, was then loaned to Scottish Premiership side St Mirren, teaming up with former boss Oran Kearney, and played 17 times, scoring once, as the Buddies avoided relegation.

The duo join Under-23s captain Tyler Magloire, John Buckley and Dan Butterworth, who all made their debuts last season, in making the trip to Austria for the first time.

Another player who made their debut last season was Joe Grayson, who finished the season on loan at League Two Grimsby Town.

One of a clutch of young central defenders at the club, the 20-year-old, who started the Carabao Cup win over Lincoln City last August, is also making his first pre-season trip.

And boss Tony Mowbray is looking forward to having them involved in the trip as he looks to find a balance between fitness work, headed up by head of athletic performance Chris Rush, and football-based sessions as Rovers look to become a more technical side ahead of the new season.

Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph: “Quite a few of the young players are coming.

“It’s good for them to come with the group, be around it, see how we work, the values of the group and the discipline.

“It will be a good group, a mixture of young players and experienced players.

“It will be good to take them away and be with them 24 hours a day rather than them disappearing at lunchtime.

“We will again have two or three training sessions a day and while there will be fitness stuff, there will be a lot of football as well.

“We will come back strong and fit and ready for the first game two or three days after we get back.”

Other players  to be back at the club from loan spells and heading with the squad are Scott Wharton and Sam Hart who spent time at Bury and Southend respectively.

Indeed, both were recalled from loans at Lincoln and Rochdale respectively in January, before being sent elsewhere, after struggling for game-time in the early weeks of the season.

Both will be keen to impress, with 22-year-old Hart, who has one year left to run on his contract, having not featured for the first team since December 2017.

Wharton meanwhile, aged 21, hasn’t been involved since an FA Cup second round tie against Crewe in December 2017.

Andrew Fisher, who spent time at FC United of Manchester last season, once again travels with the squad.

The 21-year-old, who has played three Checkatrade Trophy appearances to his name, joins David Raya in the goalkeeping group, with Jayson Leutwiler currently away with Canada at the Gold Cup.

Ryan Nyambe, a man who often leads the way in the fitness drills, also won’t be present as Rovers return to Bad Tatzmannsdorf for a second successive year.

The defender is current away with Namibia at the Africa Cup of Nations, with his involvement in the tournament likely to end on July 1.

Also not part of the group are captain Charlie Mulgrew and midfielder Corry Evans after both were involved for their countries during the June internationals.

Derrick Williams, who didn’t travel last summer because of his international commitments with Republic of Ireland, won’t be on the trip this time either with his partner expecting to give birth to their first child shortly.

New recruit Stewart Downing also won’t travel, with the 34-year-old yet to meet up with his new team-mates because of a pre-planned personal commitment.

Dominic Samuel has worked hard in the gym over the course of the last nine months, and on the Brockhall training pitches throughout the summer, to boost his fitness, but isn’t yet ready to join in with the full squad.

Instead, the 25-year-old striker will work with the club’s medical team at Brockhall in a bid to feature in the latter stages of pre-season.

Mowbray is preparing for his third pre-season as Rovers manager after taking over in February 2017.

In 2017 they travelled to Barrow for a friendly before heading out to Salzburg where they had a five-day training camp followed by a friendly with Slavia Prague.

In a change to the norm last summer, the players flew out on the first day of pre-season where they spent the next seven days. That was to allow work to be done at the senior training centre, with more planned during the upcoming break.

As with last summer, Rovers will schedule up to three sessions a day during the break.

Rovers won’t play a pre-season friendly out in Austria, despite once again sharing a hotel with Russian side CSKA Moscow.

Instead, they will return to East Lancashire next Wednesday and prepare for a game at National League side Barrow on Saturday, July (3pm).

Squad: Adam Armstrong, Amari’i Bell, Elliott Bennett, Ben Brereton, Dan Butterworth, John Buckley, Harry Chapman, Bradley Dack, Jacob Davenport, Andy Fisher, Danny Graham, Joe Grayson, Sam Hart, Darragh Lenihan, Brad Lyons, Tyler Magloire, Joe Nuttall, Joe Rankin-Costello, David Raya, Joe Rothwell, Richie Smallwood, Lewis Travis, Scott Wharton