Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed that he only needed to watch Stewart Downing play five times for Middlesbrough last season before deciding to bring him to Ewood Park in the summer transfer window.

Downing became Rovers' first signing of the summer when he joined on a free transfer in late June, putting pen to paper on a one-year deal at Ewood Park.

Since then, the 35-year-old has become something of a regular feature in Rovers' starting XI, helping the club to 14th place in the current Championship standings, with four wins and two draws from their opening 11 league games of the season.

So just how good has Downing been for Blackburn since making the move to Ewood Park?

Here, we put the spotlight on his performances for Rovers so far this season to find out.

Having featured in all 11 league games for Rovers this season, coming through 928 minutes of football in the process, not only is it clear that even at 35-years-old, Downing is still in a strong physical condition, but it also evident just how highly Mowbray regards the veteran, and the stats do seem to suggest that that trust certainly hasn't been misplaced.

Having already provided two assists for his Blackburn teammates this season, it appears as though Downing is going to provide an attacking threat for Rovers, and the fact that he is helping to create those chances for an front line that feels like it is struggling to fire somewhat at the minute will be a welcome boost.

Indeed, the quality of Downing's delivery is something that will have got Blackburn fans particularly excited following his arrival, and with around a third of his crosses finding their target, it does appear as though he will continue to create those chances for his new teammates.

Add to that the fact that the midfielder has won over 40% of his offensive duels this season, and it seems that he is still confident about his own ability to take on opposition defenders and get himself into threatening positions, meaning it may not be long until Downing is celebrating a league goal of his own this season.

Speaking about his decision to bring Downing to the club, Mowbray also acknowledged that he had plans to use the 35-year-old in a number of positions, and it seems as though that too has the potential to pay off for Rovers.

As well as the attacking threat he provides, with a defensive duel success rate of over 50% suggesting that the decision to play Downing in a deeper role at times this season has also been vindicated.

Interestingly, with a better percentage of successful defensive duels than offensive duels, you have to wonder whether that suggests that Downing could be set for a more long term spell further down the pitch for Rovers than the one he has occupied for much of his career.

Whatever role he does play, with a pass success rate of over 80%, it is clear that Downing has already established a strong connection with his new teammates, meaning his ability to dictate play only enhances his value to this Blackburn squad.

The decision to bring in the 35-year-old Downing did raise some eyebrows among Blackburn fans in the summer, but with the way he has played so far this season, it is now more of a surprise if he doesn't feature from the start for the club, meaning that Mowbray's judgement here at least, has certainly been proved right.

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