Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire on Thursday evening in regards to the ongoing news that circulated around midfielder Bradley Dack after he was spotted in a nightclub last Sunday, the day after Rovers’ opening day defeat away at Southend United.
Speaking in regards to Dack, who was substituted during the game as a result of a tweak in his hamstring – which caused him to miss the Carabao Cup win over Coventry – the Rovers chief confirmed that the former Gillingham man was involved in training on Thursday morning and would be in contention for Saturday’s game against Doncaster Rovers.
“Dack was training with the group today, then he went and did some stuff with the medical team which allowed him to see if there was a reaction (to the injury) and if he comes in tomorrow morning and says he feels great then he’ll probably join in with us.”
The former Celtic man also discussed Darragh Lenihan, who left Roots Hall last Saturday carrying a foot injury, which was feared to be a metatarsal. “Darragh is not on the grass yet, despite the scans being pretty clear, so we’re hopeful that he’ll only be out for a short period, however he won’t he won’t be available for the weekend. I think it’s an old injury, at its showing some inflammation and fluid around it, but the positive thing is there’s no extra damage, however the physio did say it could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks, depending on how he deals with the pain.”
The course of the interview then reverted back to Bradley Dack in regards to the newspaper articles that emerged on Monday. “I think I’ve had everything in my career to be honest, I’ve been in the job around 15 years now. On my first day of being a manager in 2003/04, my first incident I had to deal with was when my centre forward head-butted an Elvis impersonator.
“I’ve had a long chat with Bradley, he’s actually a great kid, he’s only young at 23 but I think he understands how big of an opportunity this is for him and if he’s good enough, trains hard enough and focuses on what he needs to improve, he can reap the rewards.
“He’s been humble about this mistake particularly after he had come off with a slight strain and yet there are family issues that I’m aware of, which we don’t need to go into. As the team had a day off on Sunday, due to us arriving back in the early hours of the morning and I think it was counter-productive to have them in on Sunday as they needed a rest.
“I’ve got no issues with him; he fully understands his responsibilities to the club, the supporters, the owners, myself and his team mates. I’m looking forward to his return to fitness in order for him to show everyone what a talent he really is.”
Mowbray was then questioned in regards to the potential incoming of a midfielder, who he hinted at during his post-match interview after Rovers’ victory over Coventry on Tuesday. “I would like to think we’ve got two or three additions coming in, in the near future. I think it’d be good to bolster the squad as the numbers are a little bit light as we’ve got plenty of choice in certain areas of the pitch, whereas in other areas we’re down to the bare bones, so I’m just trying to add the right ones and once it’s done, we’ll shut the door and get on with the group.”
