DARRAGH Lenihan is expected to step up his comeback with an outing for Rovers Under-23s at Fulham on Friday.

And boss Tony Mowbray admits the return of the Irishman ‘will be like signing a new player’ having been absent since the opening day of the season.

Lenihan underwent surgery in September on a fractured metatarsal sustained during Rovers’ defeat at Southend United on August 5.

The 24-year-old will step up his recovery for Damien Johnson’s Under-23s side after five months out of the first-team picture.

“I think that’s the plan to let him go to Fulham and get an hour if he can,” Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph.

“He’s trained for a week and training on the grass for nigh-on a month now so I’m sure his fitness will be fine.

“He just needs to get involved in a game, not in a controlled environment but play in one where he has people taking him on, reacting to running around, defend, and when he gets through that we’ll think of incorporating him back in to our group.”

Lenihan’s injury prompted Rovers to make a move for central defender Paul Downing on loan from MK Dons, with that switch made permanent earlier this month.

Rovers are currently without skipper Charlie Mulgrew who picked up an ankle injury in last weekend’s home draw with Northampton Town, but he should return within 10 days.

Elliott Ward has already moved out on loan, while Scott Wharton could be allowed to do the same given the arrival of Amari’i Bell from Fleetwood Town.

Rovers’ injury list is now starting to ease, with Harry Chapman (hamstring) now the only long-term absentee.

When asked for an update on his injured players, Mowbray added: “Lenihan is probably a week away from coming back in to the squad which will be like signing a new player. We’ve only seen him once this season on the opening day.

“Gladwin is not far away, Antonsson is not far away, Peter Whittingham is a week or so behind that but in two or three weeks we’ll have a pretty full and deep squad.”