Tony Mowbray says defender Paul Downing did ‘fantastically well’ for Rovers as his time at the club comes to end.

Downing will leave Rovers when his contract expires at the end of next month as the club opted against triggering the 12-month option in his deal signed when joining from MK Dons last January.

The 27-year-old’s season finished in heartbreak as loan club Doncaster were beaten on penalties in the League One semi-final play-off by Charlton on Friday.

That was his 22nd appearance for his loan club following his January switch having been short of game-time at Ewood Park in the first half of the season, playing just four times and struggling to break in to the matchday squad.

However, Downing played a key role in Rovers’ promotion from League One, featuring on 30 occasions having joined on transfer deadline day, initially on loan, in August 2017.

“He did the job we wanted him to do,” Mowbray said of Downing.

“He was a fantastic character around our team and around our club.

“He helped us get out of League One.

“He wanted to go and play football and wasn’t getting enough game-time with us so he moved on.”

Downing is unlikely to be short of suitors this summer, with Doncaster keen to make his deal permanent, but the central defender will take time to weigh up his options.

He has a good record in League One, having helped Rovers to promotion last season, as well as being part of the Walsall side who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion in 2015/16 before losing in the play-offs.

Downing may however, fancy a crack at the Championship having more than held his own in his three league appearances for Rovers this term.

Mowbray added: “He did very well at Doncaster, helped them get to the play-offs and he’s free to go and find himself a new club.

“Whether that is Doncaster, we’ll wait and see.

“He’s done fantastically well for us.”

Meanwhile, Corry Evans has been named in a 20-man squad for a training camp by Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill.

The Northern Ireland players will meet up in Manchester next week for the first of two training camps.

Boss O’Neill will then name his full squad ahead of Euro 2020 qualifiers away to Estonia (June 8) and Belarus (June 11).

Rovers midfielder Evans is all but guaranteed a spot in the final squad as Northern Ireland look to do the double over both Estonia and Belarus.

They currently sit top of Group C which also includes Netherlands and Germany.