Much like Blackburn Rovers themselves, Joe Rankin-Costello has endured a hugely frustrating campaign during the 2020/21 season.

Having started the season so promisingly with a string of impressive performances, Rankin-Costello has now not featured for Tony Mowbray's side since a 1-1 draw at Luton all the way back in November due to a recurrence of long running hamstring injury.

The 21-year-old made two appearances for Rovers' Under 23s side last month as he moves towards a return to first-team action, although Mowbray has suggested he does not want to risk rushing Rankin-Costello back to soon, as the club and player look to avoid that hamstring problem emerging again.

As a result, it is possible that Rankin-Costello and Rovers fans may have to wait a bit longer yet before they see him in a matchday squad or starting lineup for the first-team.

When he does return however, you feel that there may be a considerable amount of pressure on the shoulders of Rankin-Costello.

Having picked up just a single point from their last seven games, Rovers are surely going to be looking wherever they can in search of a solution to that poor form, meaning that given how impressive he has been when he featuring for the first-team, there may be plenty of expectation on the 21-year-old to deliver.

Beyond that, Rankin-Costello has a big decision to make on his long-term future, with the Blackburn academy graduate one of a long list of players whose contract at Ewood Park is set to expire at the end of this season.

It does seem as though Rovers are indeed keen to secure his services long-term, but until anything is officially announced, there may be some concern about whether or not a deal will actually be signed.

If he does put pen to paper on a new contract however, then with Ryan Nyambe's own future at the club still far from certain with his own contract situation still to be decided, Rankin-Costello could be handed the chance to make the right-back spot his own going forward.

With Rankin-Costello having stood in for the 23-year-old in that position on a number of occasions, often with admirable results, he could be in pole position to make that spot in the defence his own, should Nyambe ultimately decide to move on.

Considering however, the fact that Rankin-Costello started his career in a more forward-thinking position, and was moved in to that right-back spot due to necessity and his versatility more than anything else, you do wonder whether that is a position he would want to take up on a full-time basis.

It seems therefore, that there are still plenty of variants to consider when it comes to the future of Rankin-Costello, but for now, Rovers will no doubt simply be hoping to have him back and making an impact, as quickly as possible.