Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray has a selection headache ahead of the Barnsley game on Saturday, with Derrick Williams ruled out with injury.

Williams had an impressive run in the Blackburn side this season, making 15 consecutive starts for the Lancashire club, playing in every game apart from the opening day defeat to Charlton Athletic.

The defender spent the last week away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland as they prepared for a crunch European qualifier with Denmark after a friendly with New Zealand.

Williams started in Ireland’s 3-1 victory over New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium, scoring on the stroke of half time too, but had to be withdrawn in the second half after picking up a ‘slight knock’ in the friendly.

Tony Mowbray confirmed to This is Lancashire ahead of the weekend’s fixture that Williams would miss up to three weeks of action for the Rovers after that injury on international duty.

With Mowbray set to make defensive adjustments at the weekend, we take a look at three players who will have to step up in place of the injured Williams…

Darragh Lenihan

Williams’ fellow countryman Darragh Lenihan will be the player most likely to be his direct replacement for the game against Barnsley and going forward. Lenihan had recently suffered a lengthy injury setback of his own, having not featured in a Rovers fixture since the 4-2 defeat to QPR, where he had to be withdrawn through a strain to his lateral ligament.

Lenihan was an important member of the Blackburn side before his injury and will be eager to make up for lost time in his imminent return.

Speaking about Lenihan’s availability to the club’s official site, Mowbray had this to say: “We’ve had a frustrating time recently, but it looks like Lenihan will be fit as he’s trained from Monday onwards.”

Tosin Adarabioyo

The Manchester City loanee has mostly been used to deputise for players that have been unavailable, mostly for Lenihan’s injury absence, to which he has impressed at centre-back. The towering defender has had to be patient for his opportunities under Tony Mowbray but is currently proving that he can be a valuable asset to the manager with strong performances alongside Williams in recent weeks.

With Lenihan returning and Williams missing out, it seems as if Adarabioyo will have a different centre-back partner for the coming four or five fixtures, which could prove unsettling for the youngster who was just starting to build momentum in his performances.

The loanee will only get better with more and more playing time so it could be a blessing in disguise that Williams has missed out to make way for Adarabioyo.

Ryan Nyambe

The Namibian international has also deputised as a centre-back in recent weeks despite being more suited to the full-back slot. In Blackburn’s last fixture against Leeds, Nyambe partnered Adarabioyo at centre-back, with Williams slotting in at left-back.

Mowbray has confirmed that Nyambe has come back from international duty with ‘a bug’ after having to take four flights to get back to his club, but with Rovers’ depth at centre-back currently taking a huge hit, he might have to play at a reduced level of fitness for the coming weeks.