BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness has ditched his plan to sign the exciting young Italian striker Rey Velpato.

The 17-year-old forward caused quite a stir during Rovers' pre-season tour of Germany, scoring twice as a second half substitute in the 8-0 thrashing of SG Schorndorf.

Souness later admitted he was hugely impressed by the teenager from Padova and considered making an offer for the player.

However, the Rovers chief has since had second thoughts and now he's focusing on trying to land a striker with a proven track record as he looks to boost his fire-power ahead of the new season.

"We won't be doing that deal," said Souness.

"We've got Paul Gallagher who's 19 and Jonathan Stead who's 21, so we've got to start prioritising.

"Rey impressed us all out in Germany but he's only 17-years-old and we feel we've already got two good young strikers at the club so we're looking for someone with a bit more experience up there.

"It's always nice to have someone for the future but the reality is we've got to perform next season and that means getting someone in with more experience."

Souness has the funds to sign one more player after freeing up cash in the wage bill by off-loading Andy Cole to Fulham.

One option may be to bring a striker in on loan for the season but Souness knows such a strategy carries an element of risk.

With funds tight, however, he may have to take a calculated gamble as he searches for the experienced face he wants to complement the youthful exuberance of Stead and Gallagher.

In the meantime, Souness was pleased with the way his side's pre-season preparations went in Germany, apart from the injury Brad Friedel sustained in the final friendly against Bohemians Prague on Friday.

Rovers enjoyed friendly victories over SG Schorndorf, SSV Reutlingen, Bohemians Prague and SSV Ulm (the latter on penalties) during their 10-day tour.

They also trained twice a day near their Aalen training base and Souness and his backroom staff really pushed the players during those sessions.

"It was an excellent week," said the Rovers boss. "The one downside was we lost Brad in our final game and he's unlikely to play in the rest of our pre-season matches.

"That took the gloss of what had otherwise been an excellent week away for the squad.

"The players worked hard in training and the games were a test for us because of the hot conditions."

Friedel is due to have a scan to determine the full extent of the injury he sustained to his 'kicking' muscle.