Lewis Holtby says there is a responsibility on the shoulders of every Rovers players to help deal with the absence of top scorer Bradley Dack.

Dack will miss much of 2020 having suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury in the 0-0 draw with Wigan earlier this week.

Holtby is likely to be one of the players seen as a possible replacement for the 25-year-old top scorer, but the German knows how difficult a task that will be.

“At first when I saw it I felt very sorry for him,” he said of Dack.

“He was in a good spell, scoring lots of goals for us, and when this kind of injury happens to anyone you always feel for them.

“I’m very sorry for him, but football goes on. We all need to be ready and step up and fill his quality that will be missing.”

Rovers have drawn each of their last two home matches, extending their unbeaten run to eight games in the process, but were left disappointing with results against Wigan and Birmingham.

Their attentions now turn to back-to-back away games against Huddersfield and Nottingham Forest, with Holtby adding: “Those two home games we wanted six points and didn’t get them.

“But now we have to look ahead, we have to analyse the games and be ready and sharp for two away games.

“We haven’t lost in eight now which is a positive but if we want to push forward and have ambitions we need to get those wins.”

Holtby is getting used again to the packed festive fixture list in English football, having been away since his spell with Tottenham between 2013 and 2015.

He added: “It’s different, it’s been a while. It’s a busy time and there’s not much of a festive feeling. But it’s about getting yourself rested and ready for each game.”