MARK Hughes today explained his reasons for allowing Matt Jansen to leave Blackburn Rovers, claiming the pressures of being competitive in the Premiership made it impossible to give the striker the run of games he has been craving.

Jansen's six-year spell at Rovers will officially come to an end next week, when the decision to terminate his contract will be rubber-stamped at a board meeting on Tuesday.

And Hughes admits he will be sorry to see the 28-year-old go after he has invested so much time in trying to get the forward back on his feet again.

"There was no-one more hopeful that Matt would be able to get back on track than me, but it hasn't happened for him this season," said Hughes.

"There was an understanding that if that didn't happen then it would possibly benefit both parties if there was a parting of the ways, and I think that's where we've come to now.

"It's a great shame but I think everyone has done the best they can to try and get Matt to where we hoped he would be.

"At this moment, Matt feels if his career is to progress then he needs a period of regular football and I can't guarantee him that so, in all likelihood, he will move on (after next week's board meeting)."

Frustrated by his recent lack of first team opportunities, it was Jansen who paved the way for his own departure when he asked the club to release him early from his contract, leaving him free to resurrect his career elsewhere.

Reluctantly, Hughes agreed to that request following a series of meetings with the player and his advisers, and Jansen could now end up joining one of Rovers' Premiership rivals, with Bolton and Everton both said to be interested.

"I imagine there will be interest in Matt," said Hughes.

"I just think he needs to play at first team level and have a run of games and get his confidence back but, with the games we are involved in at Premiership level, it's very difficult to allow Matt to regain his confidence at first team level. It's just not practical.

"If Matt does leave then he goes with our wishes because he was a fantastic player for Blackburn Rovers."

Signed from Crystal Palace for a £4.1 million fee, Jansen quickly became a cult hero at Ewood, scoring 24 goals in the 2000/1 season when Rovers got promoted back to the Premiership.

The following season, he then found the net a further 16 times as Rovers secured a top 10 Premiership finish and lifted the Worthington Cup.

But tragedy then struck that summer when Jansen suffered serious head injuries in a motorbike accident and he has never been the same player since.

He remains a huge favourite among Blackburn fans, though, and, in total, he scored 57 goals in 182 appearances for the club.