GRAEME Souness has told Matt Jansen he will have to be patient if he wants his place back in the starting line-up.

Jansen has been confined to the bench since Rovers lost to Manchester United at Old Trafford on November 22.

Now he appears to have become Rovers' fourth choice striker with Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Paul Gallagher all ahead of him in the pecking order.

But Souness has defended his decision to overlook Jansen who is still a huge favourite with the fans.

"Matt is in the squad but we obviously feel that he is not first choice up front, otherwise he would have been playing," said Souness.

"The reserves haven't played over the Christmas period and it's difficult for him to get games under his belt at the moment.

"But I can only pick the team as I see it and right now I think Matt would be honest enough to say his form is not what he would want it to be, or what we would want it to be, which is why we have started with Gally and Andy Cole in the past."