This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Blackburn Rovers will be aiming to bounce back from the recent 3-2 defeat that they suffered at the hands of Bristol City when they take on Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

After initially making the perfect start to life under the guidance of their new manager Jon Dahl Tomasson, Rovers have only managed to accumulate three points from their last five league fixtures.

Ash Phillips and Adam Warton will both be looking to establish themselves as key players at senior level for Blackburn this season.

Phillips, who has yet to sign a professional contract, has featured on four occasions in the Championship during the current campaign.

Warton meanwhile has played five games in all competitions and signed a two-and-a-half year deal at Ewood Park in February.

Making reference to this duo, FLW's Blackburn Rovers fan pundit Toby Wilding has admitted that it could turn out to be a fantastic spectacle if Phillips and Warton stay at the club in the future as they are both exciting players.

Asked to name which Blackburn youngster he was most excited about, Wilding said: "It's sort of tough to choose between two at the minute in Ash Phillips and Adam Wharton, still only 17 and 18 respectively and already at the start of this season have had first team roles almost thrust upon them for a variety of reasons.

"They have absolutely thrived and neither of them have looked out of place in the Championship and given their ages, they are both players who could be making those big contributions for Rovers in years to come if they stay here.

"With that in mind, I probably just edge this one towards Wharton at the minute as with his current contract situation, he is the one who looks like he could be there for longer and could be making that sort of impact at the club for a greater period of time although that is something that could potentially change with the talk of a new Phillips deal being on the horizon.

"But both are two really exciting young players who are already more than solid options at Championship level for me so I mean, if they continue to do that and do stay with Blackburn, it is going to be a fantastic spectacle to see for Rovers fans going forward."

 

 

The Verdict

When you consider that Phillips has been linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester United, Blackburn will be hoping that the defender will sign a deal with them in the not-too-distant future.

By continuing to feature regularly for Rovers, the defender will improve significantly as a player and potentially play a role in helping his side achieve a relative amount of success in the Championship.

As for Wharton, he will be looking to follow in his brother's (Scott) footsteps by becoming an influential figure at Ewood Park.

If the 18-year-old is handed a start in Saturday's clash with Wigan, he will need to produce an eye-catching display in order to boost his chances of retaining a place in Blackburn's side.