Rovers will conclude the loan signing of Manchester City youngster Tosin Adarabioyo with boss Tony Mowbray keen to strengthen his defensive ranks.

Another defender could follow before the transfer deadline on August 8 though Mowbray may instead opt to show faith in his young prospects.

Sam Hart joined Derrick Williams on the injury list, with Rovers yet to make any defensive additions this summer despite conceding 69 goals last season.

But Tyler Magloire and Joe Grayson, who made their first team debuts last season, and Ryan Nyambe, fresh from his international commitments with Namibia provide Mowbray with inexperienced options.

“It’s not for me to start mentioning names,” Mowbray said. “Hopefully a defender will come in to boost the ranks and create more competition. We have great faith in the young players, though we do need to strengthen defensively and we will do that if the right or two come along.

“Yet I watched Nyambe play at centre half in the Africa Cup of Nations and he did particularly well.

“Tyler Magloire and Joe Grayson have been blooded, it’s whether we put faith in these young players, but we also need competition as well.”

Mowbray will want to guard against a repeat of last season when Rovers lost three senior central defenders to injury mid-season and with it won just once in 11 games.

Paul Downing and Jack Rodwell have both left the club at the end of their deals, with Darragh Lenihan and captain Charlie Mulgrew currently the only two bona fide experienced centre halves at the club.

The boss added: “When we picked up injuries last year we did suffer. Sheffield Wednesday game comes jumping out at me. We had no men in our team playing at the back.”

Nyambe has been used sparingly in the centre of defence by Mowbray who has preferred him in his more natural right back spot.

The Rovers chief sees benefits of using the Namibia international centrally however, having impressed during his three matches there in the Africa Cup of Nations.

“I think what Ryan Nyambe brings us is fantastic acceleration, speed, physicality in dealing one-v-one,” the boss said of the 21-year-old who lost his place to Elliott Bennett in the second half of the season.

“He doesn’t bring you towering headers and dealing with crosses but that’s part of his game that he needs to develop this year and work on.

“We can almost leave him one-v-one, as you can with Magloire, but they have to work on other aspects of their game.

“I think their will be good competition for places this season all over the pitch.

“Ryan can play right back, and compete to play in central defence, and with one coming in, as well as Mulgrew, Lenihan, Williams, I think it looks alright to me.

“It’s not just about bringing in lots of bodies and causing problems within the group that is so tight and so close.

“My job is to pick the right ones for each game.”

Scott Wharton is another central defensive option for Rovers.

The Salesbury-born 22-year-old has spent the last two seasons out on loan and hasn’t featured in pre-season since the opening friendly at Barrow.

Wharton missed the win at Bury, where he finished last season, through illness and could be primed for another loan spell.

He hasn’t played for the senior Rovers side since November 2017.