Tony Mowbray has revealed that Corry Evans faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after his recent injury horror.

The Blackburn Rovers midfielder fractured his skull and shattered his eye socket in the recent 1-1 draw with Preston North End on January 11.

It was an injury that occurred after a collision with Lilywhites' skipper Tom Clarke, however the severe nature of the injury wasn't clear until he underwent a scan.

Since then, Evans has had surgery on the injury which Mowbray confirmed was a big success, and says that the road to recovery starts now.

However when addressing the process, the Blackburn boss said that they wouldn't rush the midfielder back after an injury that could have a psychological impact on the player.

Speaking to Blackburn Rovers' official website, Mowbray said: “Corry’s had his operation and it went very well apparently.

“He’s going to spend between 10 days and a fortnight at home with his family, and the surgeons have said that it went as well as it could have done.

“It’s a period of maybe six to eight weeks of waiting really.

“You can’t strengthen a facial injury, but he’ll be back in the building in 10 days or so keeping himself fit.

“Eventually, at some stage we’ll get him heading foam footballs and getting that confidence back when it comes to heading a ball.

“We can’t be putting timescales on the injury, it’s psychological and about getting that confidence back in making contact with the ball.

“We’ll give him all the time he needs to get back on the grass with his boots on. The injury will hopefully take care of itself and he’ll be back soon."

Mowbray added: "Corry’s a simple minded individual and is very forthright in his views, which is something I really like.

“He’s driven and wants to be successful. He has had a really good spell with Northern Ireland and he’s someone I’ve always liked."

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The verdict

It's great news that Corry Evans has undergone a successful surgery on his injury.

It was a horrific clash which forced the Blackburn Rovers midfielder off the pitch against Preston, but thankfully it looks like he'll be okay.

Of course such an injury will have a psychological impact on the player but the message from Tony Mowbray is exactly what the player will want to hear regarding being eased back into the first team fold.

A player's long-term health is more important that football, so it's crucial that Evans is handled correctly.