BLACKBURN boss Graeme Souness today hit back at claims suggesting Damien Duff could be ready to quit the club if Rovers are relegated.

Duff has been quoted as saying he may have to consider his future for the sake of his international career if the club loses its survival battle.

But Souness insists his star man is perfectly happy at Ewood, even though he is realistic enough to accept that he would face a fight to keep hold of his best players if Rovers lost their Premiership status.

"From my information Damien is very, very happy at the club and he wants to stay," said Souness.

"He's certainly a big part of my plans for the future and he's one of the players I want to build my team around.

"At the moment, he's playing the best football since I've been at the club and he's having a fantastic season.

"It was always going to be a big step up for everyone moving up into the Premier League but Damien has proved he's more than equipped to handle that."

Ewood officials are keen to offer the flying winger a new double-your-money deal in the summer to ward off interest from the Premiership's big guns, knowing he could walk away for free when his existing contract expires in two years' time.

And Duff has indicated he would be willing to put pen to paper after stressing he is happy with life at Ewood.

However, if Rovers were to get relegated then that could jeopardise his international prospects and prompt a rethink, with Liverpool and Newcastle ready to pounce with big-money offers.

Duff is reported to have said: "The Premiership is the place to be so I would have to look at the situation if we went down.

"I spent two seasons in the First Division and it was great to get out.

"To play international football you must be in the Premiership every week."

In the meantime, Duff was set to miss this afternoon's clash with Leicester at Filbert Street after returning from international duty in midweek physically exhausted.

Souness blasted Republic boss Mick McCarthy for playing his star winger in all but three minutes of Ireland's friendly with Denmark on Wednesday night.

And now his fears about his physical state have come home to roost after Duff was forced to drop out of training yesterday.

"Damien came back feeling tired and we had to send him home yesterday because he was complaining of 'flu symptoms," said Souness.

"He's physically exhausted and the defence mechanism in his body just can't handle it.

"So Mick McCarthy has done us a real favour there, hasn't he?

"He hasn't had a thought for anyone other than himself."

Meanwhile, Souness has revealed he sent scouts to watch Hapoel Tel Aviv central defender Shimon Gershon earlier this month.

But, despite reports to the contrary, he is not planning on inviting the player over to England for a trial.

"He's a lad who was recommended to us and Terry Darracott went to watch him recently when they played Milan.

"But that's as far as it's gone," said Souness.