Blackburn Rovers suffered a double blow in their last match before the international break, with Rovers falling to a second defeat in three matches losing 4-2 at Queens Park Rangers, whilst also suffering an injury to defender Greg Cunningham.

Cunningham was forced off the field against QPR having suffered a knee injury and despite trying to initially play on for a few minutes, the left-back was eventually replaced by Tony Mowbray with Amari'i Bell coming into the side on 17 minutes, and Rovers suffered without the left-back's presence conceding four goals and going down to a frustrating defeat.

The defender, who arrived on loan from fellow Championship side Cardiff City in the summer transfer window, has returned to his parent club and had a scan on his knee to assess the damage and determine how long he could potentially be sidelined for.

That will be worrying for Mowbray because it could lead to him having to replace Cunningham in his starting line-up in the short term, and then not be able to call upon him for the rest of the season if the injury forces him to return to Cardiff to complete his rehabilitation.

Cunningham has made a real positive impact on Rovers' season in his eight appearances for the club and defender has added some vital Championship experience, which has shown trough with the left-back winning 56.6% of his duels and also 64.6% of his aerial duels so far this term, highlighting his ability to help Blackburn disrupt and stop opposition attacks.

The 28-year-old has also demonstrated his ability to read the game excellently, making 4.12 interceptions and making 9.15 recoveries of possession in the opponents half per match so far this term, which is vital in helping Mowbray's side win back the ball and look to counter and catch teams out on the transition.

Cunningham, though, has not just shown his ability to improve Rovers defensively, but also demonstrated the potential to help Mowbray's side build attacks and retain possession, with the defender averaging an 80.3% passing accuracy so far this term, which has enabled Blackburn to at times play their way out of trouble and get up the pitch by progressing the ball through the thirds.

Blackburn have also benefitted from Cunningham's ability to get forwards on the overlap and put deliveries into the penalty area, with the 28-year-old averaging 3.62 crosses per match in his eight appearances, which suggests he is able to provide plenty of attacking output which is essential for the modern day full-back, and in Mowbray's system where he wants his full-backs to supply width when the wide players took in.

That suggests that Rovers will feel the loss of Cunningham's presence in the next few games, and Mowbray and Blackburn supporters will be hoping that the defender's injury is not too bad so he can return and complete his loan spell with the club.