STEVE Kean expects Mauro Formica to become a Premier League crowd-pleaser this season after the Argentine playmaker opened his Blackburn Rovers account on Saturday.

The 23-year-old midfielder helped Rovers to a 1-1 draw with Morecambe by marking his first team debut with a goal – and Kean predicts there is a lot more to come.

Goals from Keith Andrews and Nikola Kalinic earned Rovers a 2-1 win over Accrington Stanley earlier in the day as Rovers opened their pre-season campaign with a double header at the Globe Arena.

But it was Formica’s display a healthy travelling army were really wanting to see after being made to wait six months to see the £3.5million signing in first team action, after his move from Newell’s Old Boys in January.

Kean said: “Last season was about getting used to the intensity of the training and the league because it is very, very different.

“You could see on Saturday he has the ability to find space and he can move the ball and change angle and he has a nose for goal. He is a very, very exciting player.

“Ruben Rochina was unfortunately not ready for full contact after last season’s shoulder injury but he has taken part in every training session and has looked marvellous. He has come back in really good condition.”

While Rovers’ efforts in the transfer market continue to be frustrated, with talks still ongoing to finalise the signings of Hugo Pavone and Cedric Mongongu, Kean was happy to concentrate on on-field matters on Saturday.

And, with Formica’s lively end to the game being rewarded with a goal, Kean will hope the man they call ‘Gato’ can help boost his side’s fire power next season.

“It was nice for Gato to get a goal,” said Kean.

“I think what the fans will see eventually is he is very good at picking up areas of the pitch where he can sense there is space.

“He can let the ball run across him and when he does get in the box he certainly has an eye for goal and the weight of his last pass is excellent.

"It was good for him to get on the score sheet. I thought it was a good performance.”

Rovers fans also got their first glimpse of Brazilian trialist, right back Bruno Ribeiro, while summer signing Myles Anderson was also given a run out.

“Bruno is a tidy player,” said Kean. “Technically he is good, he reads where the ball is going to bounce and I thought he grew into the game and it was a nice steady performance.

"That is what he has been since he has been here on trial. He has been steady.”