BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer has insisted that DJ Campbell is a big part of his plans for the new campaign – regardless of who actually signed the striker.

Campbell joined Rovers on a Bosman free transfer on July 1, on a two-year contract that was initially discussed when previous boss Michael Appleton brought him to Ewood Park on loan in February.

Reports had suggested that Bowyer did not want Campbell and could be ready to let him go, just weeks after the 31-year-old’s arrival on a permanent deal.

But the Rovers boss has vehemently denied that and believes Campbell can prove a real asset to Rovers this season.

“That story was a load of rubbish, I don’t know where it came from,” Bowyer said.

“He arrived on July 1 and by July 14 we were supposedly looking to let him go. He’s a player who scored 10 goals in 17 games on loan at Ipswich last season.

“He is someone who can score goals in this division. Why would we be looking to let him go?”

Rovers were reluctant to confirm or deny earlier in the summer whether Campbell would join the club on a permanent deal, following the expiry of his loan.

Campbell had been due to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with Rovers on January 31, only for the club to miss the transfer deadline by minutes.

Appleton then snapped him up on loan from QPR but there were talks at that stage about a two-year contract, starting this summer following the expiry of his contract at Loftus Road.

Campbell missed the end of the season with a broken metatarsal and his future seemed more uncertain when he said publicly at the end of the season that he was speaking to a few clubs about his future, including the possibility of a new deal at QPR.

But he arrived on July 1 and played in Rovers’ 1-0 win against Portimonense on Saturday.

He is expected to be involved against when Rovers travel to Crewe tonight.

Asked to clarify the circumstances behind Campbell’s permanent arrival at Rovers, Bowyer said: “It’s irrelevant, he is here.

“Whoever signed him, he is our player and we want people here who can score goals.”

Bruno Ribeiro could miss the Crewe game with a knee injury, while Gael Givet and Mauro Formica are not expected to feature in pre-season games as Rovers look to find new clubs for the pair.

Formica’s move to Abu Dhabi side Bani Yas recently fell through after an issue raised as a result of the Argentine’s medical.

“We’ll wait and see with them,” Bowyer said of the duo. “Obviously there was the interest from Bani Yas in Mauro. There has been talk of interest from different countries but we will have to wait and see.”

Bowyer also denied reports linking Rovers with Max Clayton, who could line up against them for Crewe tonight.

“There’s nothing in that,” the boss said. “He’s a talented player and I think some of the Premier League boys have been looking at him.

“This game will be another useful exercise against a team who play good football.

“We flew back on Sunday and the flight was delayed so it was a longer day than we had hoped, and we trained again yesterday so the players won’t be totally fresh for the game, but it’s not about that in pre-season.”