BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Tugay today angrily denied suggestions that he wants to quit the club.

The former Rangers and Galatasaray star has been widely quoted in the last 24 hours as saying that he's now 'looking for new alternatives' and that 'nobody wants to play football' at Rovers anymore.

However, the 34-year-old has hit back at those claims by insisting he's been misquoted by certain sections of the media.

And Mark Hughes has accepted that explanation after the Turk rang the Rovers boss in person last night to give his version of events.

"I have been associated with various comments suggesting that there is disharmony at Blackburn," said Tugay, who was sent off in Saturday's 4-0 defeat against Middlesbrough.

"I would like to make it clear that I have made no such comments and, to the contrary, I am enjoying playing at Rovers more than ever.

"I wish to support Mark Hughes and the new management team in ensuring that we go from strength to strength."

The original stories claimed Tugay had told Turkish Television station Lig TV that he would be interested in joining Besiktas if they ever came in with an offer - an allegation which the player has since strenuously denied.

And there was also an inference the players had become disillusioned at Rovers since the departure of Graeme Souness - even though Brad Friedel and Lorenzo Amoruso have both described the arrival of Mark Hughes as 'a breath of fresh air' in the media in the last six days.

But Hughes is satisfied that Tugay did not speak out of turn.

The Rovers chief told me today: "These things have happened before when interviews and things that you do abroad are misinterpreted and lost in translation and I think that's what's happened here.

"Everybody has been wanting to report it in a certain manner but both Tugay and the club have quickly come out and explained the situation.

"It's happened before and I've no doubt it will happen again but I've spoken to Tugay and he assured me that he didn't say it."

It's not the first time Tugay has found himself in this situation.

Similar stories have emerged in the past which have led the player to issue hasty denials.

But the latest revelations could hardly have come at a worse time for the midfielder, given that they surfaced just days after his red card against Boro.

In the meantime, that dismissal means the Turk will now be suspended for Saturday's trip to Chelsea, which leaves Hughes with a potential headache in midfield.

The natural replacement would be Garry Flitcroft but the former skipper has been struggling with a back injury, which kept him out of the Boro game.

The hope is Flitcroft will recover in time for the weekend but if he doesn't then Hughes may be forced into a tactical reshuffle against Jose Mourinho's Blues.

David Thompson could have done a job in the centre but the 26-year-old is still some way from a first team return, so much so that he wasn't considered for Monday night's reserve game against Newcastle United.

One player who has forced his way back into the reckoning, however, is Steven Reid and Hughes was delighted with the midfielder's performance last weekend, particularly as it was his first appearance in the Premiership since he recovered from the metatarsal injury he sustained against Preston in pre-season.