Tony Mowbray has revealed that Blackburn Rovers midfielder Jack Rodwell "has a little bit more to do" in order to make his first Championship appearance, according to reports from the Lancashire Telegraph.

The former Sunderland midfielder made his first competitive appearance in over a year on Tuesday night, in Blackburn's 3-2 defeat to AFC Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup.

Mowbray, though, has said that the 27-year-old, who was replaced after 60 minutes, has "a little bit more to do" before he makes his first league outing for the Lancashire side.

"I think there is a little bit more to do.” Mowbray said.

“The intensity of a first team game is something he has to acclimatise to - how you get that if you’re not playing first-team games is the conundrum for us", he admitted.

Rodwell, despite being considered as a centre-half under Mowbray, played in the middle of the park on Tuesday night, and the former England international is expected to make an appearance there for the under-23s in the coming weeks.

"At some stage we will ask him to play for the under-23s again, possibly in central midfield rather than at the back, and see how he does".

“I like the options he gives us but we have to make sure that behind the scenes he’s working really hard so that when he’s thrust in, as he did the other night, he has to perform and help the team because everyone else is working extremely hard and playing at huge intensity levels", Mowbray added.

The Verdict

Rodwell put in a solid performance on Tuesday night, and when back to full fitness, could prove to be a shrewd addition at Ewood Park.