ROVERS manager Mark Hughes says Jay McEveley will come back a stronger player after his recent injury set back.

The 20-year-old defender, who had been on a season-long loan at Ipswich Town, tore medial ligaments in his knee in the game against Cardiff on Monday night.

Initially, it was thought that McEveley had just suffered damage but further scans revealed that the ligament had torn completely and so the defender has returned to Rovers for surgery.

The injury comes as a double blow for McEveley, who had been capped at both England Under-20 and Under-21s level, as he had been invited to join Scotland in a 'get together' next week as he considered a change of allegiance to Walter Smith's men.

But Hughes was philosophical about the injury which puts him out for the season, and insisted that McEveley will still have a part to play at Ewood.

He said: "You take a risk when you send a player out on loan that they might get injured. The benefits for your club are that they might get some football in them so when they come back they're a better option for you at the January window or at the end of the season.

"But to get injured is always a risk and that's what's happened unfortunately but we'll make sure that he gets the right medical care and hopefully he'll be back sooner rather than later.

"The idea was to get Jay out and playing just make him more ready for the demands of Premiership football. Unfortunately he's had a setback now and he'll have to go again. He'll have had the experience of a few months of Championship football so he'll be better for that."

And Town boss Joe Royle was sad to see a player of such potential leave so early into his loan spell.

He said: "There is no doubt that he has all the attributes to become a top class left back so for something like this to happen when he is progressing so well is a real tragedy in a football sense."

This injury comes as another blow in McEveley's short career.

The Liverpool-born defender burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in 2002 where he played 14 games under Graeme Souness.

The following season he was loaned out to near neighbours Burnley but made only five appearances before dislocating his knee in an FA Cup tie against Mansfield in January 2004.