Ian Poveda is in line to return to Rovers next week to put himself in with a chance of featuring again this season.

Poveda has been back with parent club Leeds United since undergoing ankle surgery in November following his injury at Bristol City.

It was always expected that Poveda would miss several months of action, but with no break clause in his deal, Rovers have continued to honour the contributions within the deal that was agreed last summer.

Talks between the two clubs have continued over a possible return date, which Mowbray hopes to be next week, which will allow the club to assess the 22-year-old before a decision is made over whether he will feature in the final games of the season.

Poveda was back at Ewood Park to watch last weekend’s draw with Blackpool, and asked if his season was over, Mowbray said: “No, I don’t think so.

“I spoke to Leeds yesterday. He’s on the training ground working hard, he hasn’t played any football yet in terms of games, and between Leeds, the boy and ourselves we’ll decide whether he comes and gets involved for the last few weeks of the season with us

“We’ll then have to assess how he looks on the grass and whether we think he could help us or not.

“We’re still paying our contribution towards his salary so if he’s fit then he should be back and we’ll try and negotiate that he comes back next week.”

The deals with Brighton for Jan Paul van Hecke and Reda Khadra, as well as other season-long agreements for previous loanees signed by Rovers have included break clauses.

That allows for either club, or player, to cut the deal short in January should that be in the best interests of all concerned, as happened with Liverpool midfielder Leighton Clarkson.

Mowbray said he wasn’t involved in the deal for Poveda, who scored once in four starts and four substitute appearances in the first half of the season, but the specifics of it were likely agreed to get it over the line.

He added: “I don’t do the deals, the deal was done and the deal is what it is.

“It’s probably frustrating for the football club that we’ve been paying his salary for so long without having the player available.

“That’s a resource, but that’s football and you take those chances.

“You probably wouldn’t have been able to do the deal unless certain clauses were in it and you have to make those calls sometimes.”

Mowbray expects to be calling upon the same players as last weekend’s game against Blackpool.

Reda Khadra is set to miss both Easter games with the calf problem that forced him off at Reading before the international break, with others on the treatment table not yet ready to be involved.

He added: “I think it’s about the same.

“He (Khadra) is probably a week away if I’m trying to give you a timescale, but that changes every now and then.

“These two games over Easter weekend I don’t think he’s going to make them.

“He brings that individuality.

“All teams in the Championship are organised and well structured and any manager in this league can coach teams to defend and make life difficult.

“The difference sometimes is the individuality of a footballer who can eliminate people by going past them and I think we’ve that in recent months.

“Khadra can do that, (Dilan) Markanday can do that and that’s why he’s been brought here and unfortunately we haven’t seen that since the Hull game.”

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