The Championship season has been a cruel mistress for Blackburn so far.
Manager Owen Coyle has not enjoyed the best of starts at Ewood Park with the club struggling to pick up wins on a consistent basis.
A huge criticism the club has faced over recent months is the failure to re-invest money raked in from player sales in new signings to strengthen the squad. A reliance on free transfers and youth players has seen the club struggle to find form.
However, over the years, the club has produced a number of starlets from its youth set-up such as Damien Duff, Jason Wilcox, Phil Jones, and David Dunn but the question is now whether there are any hidden gems in the current batch of youth players at the club.
Football League World writer Steve Day picks THREE players that football fans up and down the country might not have realised could become quite big deals, if given the right opportunities at Blackburn....
Ryan Nyambe
The first youth product on this list is 18-year-old Namibia-born Nyambe who has been receiving praise from both those within the club and his fans from his native Namibia as he has moved up through the Rovers ranks.
He made his academy debut back in the 2014/15 season and has proven himself as a versatile defender that can play in an accomplished manner across the back four. He was given his first team debut in a Football League Cup game against Shrewsbury Town on 11th August, 2015.
Nyambe is yet to play for Rovers this season and it remains uncertain how highly Coyle rates the youngster but he has already been backed to succeed by first team full back Adam Henley who has tipped the starlet as a “rising star” within the Championship.
Scott Wharton
It has now been a whole year since Wharton put pen to paper on a professional contract with the club and has persistently churned out the impressive performances at centre back in Damien Johnson's Under-21 side.
Wharton made his professional debut for the club in a 2-2 draw with Burton Albion on 20th August, 2016 in the Championship.
It was undoubtedly a proud moment for Wharton and showed him that under Coyle the opportunity to break into the first team will come.
The 18 year old has since made two more appearances for the club and has even scored his first goal for the club in a 4-3 win over League Two side Crewe in the EFL Cup 2nd Round on 23rd August, 2016. Coyle clearly rates the young centre back and it could be a career-defining season for the hot prospect.
Connor Mahoney
At 19 years old, Mahoney is one of the more senior youth talents coming through the ranks at Rovers but there is still a lot of potential going for this talent, who was born just a matter of miles from Ewood Park itself.
Mahoney had already gained professional first team experience before he joined the Blackburn youth set-up when he appeared for Accrington Stanley in the League Cup back on 28th August, 2013 against Cardiff City. H
e then made his league debut for the club just a few days later against Burton Albion.
The attacking midfielder then signed for Blackburn in December of that year after being picked up by the Rovers scouts. He made his competitive debut for the club in their FA Cup 3rd Round clash with Manchester United back in January, 2014.
He has since appeared in the Rovers first team on the odd occasion.
He has earned caps for England Under-17s and England Under-18s over the past couple of seasons, and this season could be the year that Mahoney finally breaks through into the Rovers first team set-up on a more regular basis.
What do you reckon Rovers fans? Are there any other youth prospects at your clubs that you think fans should keep an eye out for who might not be widely renowned? Let us know in the comments section below.