Blackburn Rovers' Injury Woes Start to Heal Ahead of Millwall Clash

Tony Mowbray says Blackburn Rovers’ bruised squad is finally starting to heal – but the move for free agent Ryotaro Ito has all but slipped away.

Rovers went into Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United without a recognised striker, a stark picture of how stretched the squad has been. Jayden Fevrier was pushed into service as a false nine, asked to lead the line in the absence of Andri Gudjohnsen, Mathias Jorgensen and Yuki Ohashi.

Gudjohnsen had carried much of the early-season load, racking up 418 minutes across the opening five matches before injury struck. With Jorgensen and Ohashi still ruled out for “another few weeks”, the attacking options have been thin and the bench even thinner.

Now, at last, there is a sliver of good news.

Injuries easing before Millwall test

Mowbray confirmed Gudjohnsen returned to training on Thursday and could feature against Millwall at Ewood Park on Saturday (15:00 BST), a timely boost ahead of a meeting with a side already four points and 10 places better off in the table.

The manager is also hopeful Moussa Baradji will be fit enough to make his first appearance of the season, likely from the bench.

“It’s starting to improve and starting to get better,” Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire, reflecting on the injury situation.

“It would be nice to have some more senior players to try and change a game late on as opposed to hoping a young boy comes on and does something quite special.”

That line cut to the heart of Blackburn’s recent problems. Youngsters have been asked to punch above their weight, and while performances have often been competitive, the points have not followed.

Rovers have taken just one point from their past four games. The sense of frustration is growing.

Ito deal stalls at the finish line

Off the pitch, another door appears to be closing. Blackburn had moved towards a deal for Japan midfielder Ryotaro Ito, who spent last season in Belgium and was at the club on Monday as talks advanced.

It looked close. It now looks dead.

“I’m not really sure what’s happened,” Mowbray admitted. “At this moment there’s nothing happening.

“I genuinely don’t know but, my experience would suggest to me that it’s not going to happen now.

“I don’t know why it didn’t happen. I asked for help a few weeks ago and the club are trying to put some players in the building to help us.”

Ito’s arrival would have added creativity and experience to a squad stretched across the pitch. Instead, Mowbray must turn again to what he has, hoping returning bodies can sharpen both his starting XI and his bench.

Performances vs reality

For all the injuries and transfer frustration, Mowbray is not hiding behind excuses. He believes the displays have merited more than the table currently offers, but he knows the numbers that matter are brutal.

“We know we need to find a result, we can’t keep thinking the team is playing quite well but we’re getting beat again or drawing again,” he said.

“I think we are better than the results have suggested the last couple of games and deserved more from them, but the reality is you have to win matches and get points.”

Millwall at home, with Gudjohnsen possibly back and Baradji in reserve, feels bigger than an early-season fixture should. Injuries are easing. The transfer window lifeline has slipped away.

Now Blackburn have to show whether “playing quite well” can finally turn into something far more concrete.