Blackburn Rovers winger Ian Poveda is set to be sidelined for a significant period of time through injury, as per a recent report on the club's official website.

The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Ewood Park from Leeds United and has sustained a fracture and ligament damage to his left ankle which will mean that the player will need to undergo surgery.

Rovers are said to be in talks with Leeds over the best way forward with regards to Poveda's rehabilitation process, with the player sure to be out for a number of months after being stretchered off at the weekend in the game against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Now Tony Mowbray has had his say on what is another fitness blow for Blackburn this season:

"We've been in touch with Leeds United and it looks as if he'll have an operation to insert a plate. We'll see what Leeds want to do because he's their player, but he will be out for a significant period of time.

"We were looking forward to seeing the best of Ian and I feel he was acclimatising well. It's a blow for us but an even bigger blow for him."

Poveda had featured regularly for Rovers up to now, with the youngster having scored one goal and assisted a further two in his opening eight Sky Bet Championship appearances.

It now appears likely that his loan spell will be cut short in order to facilitate a return to Elland Road.

The Verdict 

This is a big blow for Blackburn as it means that they have a lot less depth in terms of attacking options moving forwards.

Poveda was slowly getting into his stride at Ewood Park and is now set to spend most of the rest of the season on the sidelines.

As a result of this, Mowbray may well dip into the January transfer market in order to bring in another attacking player to complement the current options that he has at his disposal.

There are bound to be other players available for loans at the turn of the new year and that is sure to be something that will interest Rovers after recent events.