BLACKBURN Rovers new boy Matt Kilgallon is determined to secure regular football at centre back this season – with speculation continuing about the future of captain Scott Dann.

Dann has again been linked with a move away from Rovers before the end of the transfer window, and the central defender has remained non-committal on his future this week.

Rovers, who are interested in Aston Villa midfielder Barry Bannan, have already brought in Kilgallon on a free transfer this summer to strengthen their defensive options.

And the former Sunderland man has revealed that he chose the move to Ewood ahead of interest from the Premier League because of his desire for regular football this season.

Kilgallon spoke at length with Rovers boss Gary Bowyer before signing and, while he has filled in at left back in the club’s last two pre-season friendlies and could potentially start the season there, he still has his eyes on a centre back spot this term.

“My preferred position is centre half,” Kilgallon said. “The gaffer might ask me to do a job at left back for one or two games and with the sort of lad I am I will do that for the team. I said I’d do that for him, not a problem.

“But he has told me he sees me as a centre half and he hasn’t brought me in as a left back, so it’s nice to know he’s had that chat with me.

“I’m 29 and it’s time for me to kick on now as a centre half.”

Kilgallon made only 26 appearances in three-and-a-half years at Sunderland, having loan spells at Middlesbrough and Doncaster.

“At Sunderland I didn’t play enough,” he said. “Before that at Leeds and Sheffield Untied I was playing Saturdays and Tuesdays.

“I miss that, training hard all week and not playing. I didn’t enjoy it.

“Hopefully in my time at Blackburn I’ll be training hard and playing as well. There were other clubs I could have gone to but I might not have played again and I didn’t want that.

“To come to a big Championship team and play was brilliant for me and I’m really happy with my decision to come here.”

There has been speculation about Dann’s future for some months and he said earlier this week: “You never know what goes on in terms of transfers and you never know what can happen in the next month or so.

“But obviously I’m a Blackburn Rovers player and I’ll be doing my utmost to make sure we get back to the Premier League.”

Gael Givet’s future remains unresolved, with a deal not agreed for his departure after he had travelled to Italy for talks with Livorno this week.

Meanwhile, Paul Brand, who had been Rovers’ head of performance analysis for the past three years, has left the club and taken up an offer to join Manchester United.