Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray says he is hopeful that Bradley Dack will feature for Rovers when they host play-off chasing Derby County at Ewood Park on Tuesday night, though you wonder what fans of the Lancashire side will expect to see from their key man should his name appear on the teamsheet.

Dack missed Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke, with Mowbray revealing post match the star was absent to a hamstring injury picked up the Thursday before the game, denying speculation that the 25-year-old's absence was due to a reported split from reality TV star girlfriend Olivia Attwood.

But you wonder whether a starting spot for Dack on Tuesday would raise a few eyebrows amongst the Ewood Park faithful.

In the past, Mowbray has been notoriously cautious when it comes to risking players who are just returning from injury, so you would expect him to do the same with Dack against Derby.

If the midfielder is sent out to chase balls and meet challenges from the start, then some may start to wonder about the speed of Dack's recovery, although there is no reason for them not to trust what Mowbray has said about the 25-year-old.

Indeed, it is hard to argue with Mowbray's claim that playing football could be the best thing for Dack right now to distract him from those off the field issues, and with a run of just one win in 11 seeing Rovers slide worryingly close to an end of season relegation battle, Rovers will need Dack to be at his best if they are to get something from play-off chasing Derby on Tuesday night.

Then the nerves would be settled again.