BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is ready to block a move by Sheffield United to sign Dominic Matteo.

Former Liverpool and Leeds star Matteo is reported to be a target for Blades boss Neil Warnock, who wants to bring in a defender on loan to boost his side's chances of gaining promotion to the Premiership.

However, with Rovers chasing a top-six finish themselves and a possible passport into Europe, Hughes is not willing to let Matteo go out on loan because he wants to make sure he's got enough adequate defensive cover himself for the final 12 games of the season.

Rovers' chairman, John Williams, told me today: "We've not had any contact from Sheffield United about Dominic as yet, but it's highly unlikely we'd let him out on loan anyway because we need all our senior players for the run-in."

Matteo has only made seven appearances for Rovers this season after losing his place in the team to Michael Gray, but his ability to play in several different positions means he's a handy guy to have around in case of injuries to any of Hughes' first choice defenders.