Tony Mowbray confirms Blackburn Rovers set for Leeds United player boost in Preston clash

Blackburn will be boosted by the return of Ian Poveda in the game against Preston North End on Monday night. 

Tony Mowbray confirmed the Leeds loanee will be among the substitutes for the Lancashire derby as Rovers look to push for a place in the playoffs.

Rovers currently sit six points off the top six with three games to play and having more attacking options available to them will go a long way to getting their push for a play off place back underway after poor form in this half of the season.

Poveda’s return will be a welcome boost to a side that has lacked creativity since the turn of the year, with the former Manchester City youngster poised to make his first appearance since November, when he suffered a serious ankle injury in a 1-1 draw at Bristol City.

On his return, Mowbray told Lancashire Live: “Poveda looks fit to me, he looks electric on the training ground. There is a fair chance he will be on the bench.

“Poveda has been training on our pitches in the last few days and it’s pretty scary watching how talented he is. We have missed how brilliantly individual he can be.

“I think there was a period of time to adapt where he learned he didn’t need to beat five, six men with the ball. He needed to pass the ball in the shape and it took him a while to integrate into our shape.”

“Undoubtedly, watching him on the training pitch in the last few days, he has fantastic talent that would have helped us.”

Prior to his injury, Poveda has made eight appearances for Blackburn this season, scoring once and providing two assists.

Blackburn could move up to seventh with a win over Preston, moving above Millwall on goal difference.

The Verdict

Poveda has shown in spells how much of a talented player he is and any team would