GARY Bowyer has hailed Ben Marshall as Premier League quality after the in-form winger put in another dazzling display at the weekend.

Marshall scored his sixth goal in his last 10 games to help Rovers beat Reading and boss Bowyer believes he has a technique good enough for the top flight.

After spending time in the youth systems at Manchester United and Crewe Alexandra, Marshall has a good grounding in the game, and he is now reproducing the kind of form which saw him recognised with two England U21s caps two years ago.

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“He’s been fantastic," said Bowyer. “On a technical level he’s Premier League, simple as that.

“There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be getting double figures (in goals) this season.

“Just before he got injured (last season) he was in the same sort of form as he is now.

“What he has done this year is his goal contribution.

“Saturday’s free kick is a wonderful bit of skill from him, but if you want to give anybody credit for Ben Marshall’s confidence then you need to speak to Ben Marshall, because he’s the one that does it, he’s the one who works his socks off in training.

“He had a right good look at himself towards the end of pre-season and he’s not turned back since.”

The 23-year-old signed from Leicester City for £1m and scored twice before injuring his ankle in the 1-1 draw with Derby County in January, missing the last four months of the season.

"He arrived from Leicester and he hadn’t done a proper pre-season,” said Bowyer. 

“It took him a while to break in and then when he got in.

“At QPR away he was magnificent and he never looked back from then.

“He was in a rich vein of form but had an horrific injury that saw him out until the last game of the season.”

Marshall is one of a number of young players Bowyer has brought to the club since taking over and the investment of £1m is beginning to look like astute business.

“We made a conscious decision when we took over to bring young players in and spend the little money that we were given wisely, an investment to the club, not just throwing it away,” said the Rovers boss.

“I think Marshy’s one of them, the money that we paid for him, he’s worth loads more than that now.”

Marshall is one of several players in good form for Rovers.

Rudy Gestede’s two goals on Saturday mean the Benin international has now found the back of the net 14 times in his last 17 appearances for the club.

Gestede has now got eight goals this season, three more than £8m Jordan Rhodes, and Bowyer is delighted his side have proved that they aren’t over-reliant on Rhodes.

“It’s good we’re not reliant on Jordan all the time now,” said Bowyer. “People think they’ve done half the job when they keep Jordan quiet and then Rudy pops up, and vice versa.

“Our job is to make sure we keep supplying them with chances, and at the moment we’ve got the ability, we’ve got the craft in there, to make sure we’re doing that.

“I think they would say they’re not bothered who scores the goals, as long as we’re competing and putting performances on that’s the main thing for them, and

I think that’s good because of the spirit that the whole camp has got and the character we’ve got, it’s not about egos here any more.”

The only new injury doubt heading down to the Den is Lee Williamson, who was withdrawn at half time on Saturday because of a groin problem.

Bowyer said he hoped that Williamson would be ‘fit and ready’ and that he will give him time to prove his fitness.