Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has admitted to the Lancashire Telegraph that he doesn't expect Jan Paul van Hecke to feature for the club until after the next international break. 

The Brighton and Hove Albion loanee is currently sidelined with a pre-existing injury that is set to keep him out of action for the next five games.

A 21-year-old centre back by trade, van Hecke is yet to have featured for Rovers since arriving from the Premier League Seagulls and will no doubt be working hard with the medical team to get himself back fit and available.

Now Mowbray ahs provided an update on the youngster's availability, as he stated the following recently:

"I think it might be the next international break, two or three weeks, before we can get him on the grass.

“I was fine with that at the time and I am now."

The defender has no previous experience of playing in English football despite joining Brighton back in September of last year and spent the majority of the previous campaign out on loan at SC Heerenveen in his Dutch homeland.

Under contract with the Seagulls until 2023, van Hecke is a player that Brighton seemingly have big hopes for in the years to come.

The Verdict 

It seems strange that Blackburn have signed a player who was already injured and it will now mean that they will have to wait to see if van Hecke is up to demands of the Championship or not in the long run.

Luckily for Rovers and Mowbray they are well covered in defensive areas, so the loss of the Dutchman during this early period won't be too badly felt.

If they can get him back fit sooner rather than later he will provide yet another strong option to utilise as part of the backline moving forwards.

It will certainly be interesting to see if he can establish himself as a regular starter at Ewood Park after spending a period on the sidelines.