Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed that Joe Rothwell is likely to feature for the club in their showdown with Preston North End next weekend.
The midfielder suffered an injury scare during yesterday's clash with Stoke City as he limped off in the 73rd minute at the Bet365 Stadium.
Blackburn climbed up to fourth in the Championship standings on Saturday as they secured an impressive 1-0 victory over the Potters.
Reda Khadra opened the scoring for Rovers in the second-half after being teed up by John Buckley.
Darragh Lenihan then squandered a good opportunity to double his side's advantage as he fired wide from Rothwell's cross.
Despite piling on the pressure in the closing stages of the fixture, Stoke were unable to break down a resilient Blackburn outfit.
Having extended their unbeaten run in the Championship to four games by beating the Potters, it will be intriguing to see whether Rovers are able to back up this display when they face Lancashire rivals Preston North End next weekend at Ewood Park.
Ahead of this upcoming clash, Mowbray has provided an update on Rothwell's injury.
Speaking to Blackburn's official website about the midfielder, Mowbray said: "I'm sure Joe will be fine.
"He was toiling before the game and we spoke a lot this week about the space that would be available for him.
"With total respect to Romaine Sawyers and [Mario] Vrancic, they're wonderful footballers but they aren't as mobile as Joe Rothwell.
"We needed him out there and he showed moments where he can run away from people. I'm sure he'll be ready for our home game against Preston."
The Verdict
This is an encouraging update as Blackburn's supporters would have been fearing the worst after seeing Rothwell limp off during yesterday's game.
If the midfielder does indeed make his 21st league appearance of the season against Preston, it wouldn't be at all surprising if he produces an eye-catching performance in this particular fixture as he has already provided seven direct goal contributions at this level for Rovers.
Currently averaging an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.0 in the second-tier, Rothwell could potentially play a major role in Blackburn's quest to secure a top-six finish if he maintains his fitness over the coming months.
By sealing a third victory on the bounce at this level against Preston, Blackburn may be able to use the momentum gained from this result to close the gap between them and the automatic promotion places over the Christmas period.