Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has admitted his side are asking too much of Ben Brereton-Diaz as he returns from injury.

The Chilean international has featured in Rovers' last three outings after returning from an ankle injury and scored against Peterborough on Friday.

“He’s been out injured for a while and we’re asking too much of Ben Brereton at the moment,” Mowbray said, via Lancashire Telegraph.

“It was no surprise to see him score, it’s what he’s been doing all season for us,"

“But, it’s more about the team than Ben Brereton, his career will go where it goes. He’s a player that scored 20 goals before Christmas and then got injured and it was a big loss to the team."

“Being out for six weeks, it’s hard for players to come back and hit the ground where they left off.

“Ben is getting up to speed again and he has a lot of talent, and hopefully he can score a few more goals before the end of the season and we’ll see what the summer brings.”

Brereton-Diaz's contract with the club is set to expire this summer, although Rovers are said to hold the option to trigger a year extension should they not reach a new agreement with the forward.

There have been several reports linking him with a move to Premier League clubs on a free transfer.

The Verdict

You can see what Mowbray is saying here, as no side really wants to have to fully rely on a player who is returning from injury and trying to re-find their feet and form.

In that sense, this sounds like a bit of a rallying call for the rest of the Blackburn Rovers team to step up.

Blackburn's form of late has been nothing short of horrendous, which has seen them move outside of the Championship play-off places.

If Rovers finish the outside the top six come the end of the season, it will have been a bitterly disappointing second half of the campaign.