Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed that whilst Sam Gallagher will not be involved in this weekend's clash with Preston North End, the forward could potentially make his return to action in the club's meeting with AFC Bournemouth on December 11th.

Gallagher has been forced to watch on from the sidelines in recent weeks after picking up a calf injury during Rovers' 2-1 victory over Derby County.

In the forward's absence, Blackburn have managed to pick up 10 points from their last five league games.

Mowbray's side backed up their recent 4-0 victory over Peterborough United by securing a 1-0 win in their showdown with Stoke City last weekend.

Currently fifth in the Championship standings, Blackburn will fancy their chances of securing a positive result in their meeting with Preston at Ewood Park tomorrow as their opponents have only won two of their 10 away fixtures at this level during the current campaign.

Making reference to Gallagher, Mowbray has admitted that he is unwilling to risk the forward against Preston.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by Blackburn's official website) about the 26-year-old, Mowbray said: "I don’t feel I need to gamble with Sam and bring him back a week earlier than I need to.

“We’ll give him another week to get ready for Bournemouth rather than have him training for one day, half a day and then throwing him in.

“If he breaks down again then he could be out for another six weeks, so we’ll ease him into training and hopefully have him ready for Bournemouth."

The Verdict

This is a wise decision by Mowbray as losing Gallagher for another extended period may have a negative impact on the club's fortunes in the Championship.

By easing the former Southampton man back into action, the Blackburn boss may end up benefitting from this decision in 2022 as Gallagher has already shown real signs of promise for the club at this level during the current campaign.

In the 13 league games he has played for Roves this season, the forward has scored five goals whilst he also chipped in with three assists.

Currently averaging a club-high WhoScored match rating of 7.33 in the second-tier, Gallagher will be confident in his ability to deliver the goods against Bournemouth if he is selected to start in this fixture.