Ryan Giles will be ready when called upon – which could come as early as this weekend’s game at Swansea City.
Giles became a Rovers player an hour after the 11pm transfer deadline and has signed a deal for the remainder of the season.
The 22-year-old wide-man has spent the month training with parent club Wolves after they cut short his loan spell at Cardiff City, where he managed nine assists in 22 games, to assess his first-team credentials.
While Giles hasn’t played for a month following Wolves’ decision to exercise the recall clause in his previous loan agreement, he’s trained regularly and is fit and available for a possible debut at Swansea City with injury concerns for Tony Mowbray.
“I’m ready whenever the manager needs me,” Giles said.
“The last time I played was a month ago but I’ve been back at Wolves for the rest of the month training hard so whenever the manager needs me I’ll be there.”
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Ryan Giles is looking to follow in the footsteps of one of his mentors, Scott Sellars, in becoming a hit at Ewood Park.
Sellars was a favourite during his six-year stay between 1986 and 1992 and is now working at Giles’ parent club Wolves as technical director.
Earlier this season he branded the 22-year-old as one of the best young crossers of the ball in the country, with Giles delivering on that promise with nine assists in 22 appearances for Cardiff in the first half of the season.
Giles was ‘thriving’ during his time at the Bluebirds before being recalled by Wolves who agreed to loan him out again on deadline day with Rovers winning the race for his signature amid other Championship interest.
For a fourth successive window Giles made a loan switch to a Championship club, with Rovers following Cardiff City, Rotherham United and Coventry City in securing his signature.
That has enabled Giles to gain experience of almost 100 senior appearances, and he feels his pathway is the right one.
“I have to look at the long-term benefit. My parent club is a fantastic club that’s doing really well so it’s never going to be easy when you’re parent club are doing well like Wolves are,” he explained.
“I’ve got so much experience under my belt and I’m still growing, still developing, and that’s what I want to do and keep pushing myself.
“That’s the biggest goal and my rewards will come later on and I go where I want to.
“Every club has a plan of how they want to do things with their players, mine is in place and it’s about getting that first-team experience and grow as a person and a player.”
Giles described a ‘whirlwind’ deadline day that saw an early evening dash up the M6 in order to finalise the deal and undergo his medical, with the deal then announced at midnight.
He said Rovers’ league position ‘sells itself’ and is looking forward to competing at the top end of the table.
Injuries to left wing-back options Harry Pickering and Tayo Edun could open the door him to make his debut at Swansea City on Saturday, but he is equally adept at playing higher up the pitch on either flank.
He has played against Rovers for each of his last three loan clubs, including a 45 minute cameo for Cardiff in City in a 5-1 defeat in September, though his performance didn’t go unnoticed with Tony Mowbray.
On his time with the Bluebirds, he said: “I was thriving there but Wolves are my parent club and have every right to recall me. I knew it could be a possibility and when it happened you have to accept it, go back and try and fight your way into the squad.
“That’s the mindset I had going back to Wolves, trained every day, the manager did take a liking to me which was great from my point of view, leaving it so late in the end it was best that I finish the second half of the season out on loan.”
Giles described Sellars as a ‘close contact’ who he can trust, and someone he will speak to throughout the duration of his loan spell.
He did his own research on Rovers, but was impressed by his conversations with manager Mowbray whose first-team plans he will aim to break into in the remaining games.
“I definitely had a couple of choices but when you look at the grand scheme of things, Blackburn are in a great position, a great squad, a fantastic manager as well as a great fanbase,” said Rovers’ new No.28.
“Looking at all the options I had I think it was a no brainer for me to come here.
“The league position sells itself. I think you look at all aspects when you’re looking to join a club on loan but being here now, a club that’s fighting for promotion, I was really eager to put myself in that position.”
Previous loan spells have seen Giles have to become used to settle in quickly at clubs and his experiences in each have shaped him to become a better player.
He added: “This the reason to go out on loan, every team is in different positions and I’ve experienced teams that have been fighting to stay up like I did last season with Rotherham, now I’ve come here and looking to try and get promoted to the Premier League.”
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